At Better Health, our mission is to digitize and modernize the antiquated medical supplies and devices industry. More than 60 million Americans use medical equipment and supplies in their homes on a regular basis. But getting access to these products can be incredibly challenging and costly. We aim to bring greater transparency and choice to our customers by offering an end-to-end care solution, bundling clinical consultation, member education, insurance management, and home delivery. As a licensed Medicare provider, we work with several Medicaid plans and have preferred and national partnerships with the nation’s leading payers. Founded by a team of healthcare, e-commerce, and software veterans and funded by world-class investors, we believe that you deserve Better.

Better Health

Every year, people around the world find themselves unable to cover basic medical costs. In fact, about half of U.S. adults currently have trouble affording healthcare. This is caused by issues like the high cost of hospital care and a lack of pharmaceutical price transparency, resulting in a faulty system that continues to leave millions out. However, industry experts like Mandhir seek to address these issues. As a senior lead engineer at Elevance Health, Mandhir has been instrumental in using patient data to create a unique, AI-powered system that helps users access personalized medical services. He’s also worked to establish a broader vision of patient care that not only considers physical factors but also takes into account social, behavioral, and mental elements. Learn more about Mandhir’s work and how he’s worked to make medical costs more affordable for millions of people worldwide. The Current Challenges in Healthcare Most problems in the American healthcare industry can be traced to a lack of transparency. Under the current system, patients have no way of knowing the full cost of their treatments until the bill is already due, whether it’s hospital fees, prescription drugs, or insurance coverage. This leaves patients susceptible to surprise medical bills that can quickly wipe out savings. Additionally, most facilities don’t have the proper infrastructure to store and organize the massive amounts of patient data that the healthcare industry generates every day. This makes it difficult for providers to access vital records, but it also means they can get inconsistent or incomplete data, making it harder to get the full picture of a patient’s health problems. Without a unified communication system among providers that keeps data synchronized and all in one place, patient care suffers as doctors inaccurately assess their needs (due to a lack of good data). It also leads to conflicting reports and unnecessary additional expenses, significantly contributing to a healthcare system that’s already rife with disparities in price and quality. Advocating for Transparency: Mandhir’s Commitment to a Better Healthcare Ecosystem Mandhir has understood the importance of healthcare accessibility since he was a child. Raised in a remote village in Punjab, India, he saw firsthand how families around him struggled to afford basic health treatments, even going as far as to sell their property. When he moved to the United States, he was impressed by many advancements in healthcare, but he was even more surprised that healthcare was almost just as inaccessible despite its innovations. After receiving his Bachelor of Technology from the Punjab Technical University, he worked for over 13 years as a technology architect for the second-largest Indian IT company, Infosys. During this time, he worked on claim adjudication systems for Anthem, one of the largest health companies in the US, and gained great insight into the inner workings of the country’s healthcare sector. This experience eventually led Mandhir to work directly for Anthem, now called Elevance Health. As a senior lead engineer, he’s used his position and talents over the years to spearhead significant developments in data-driven healthcare technology. How Mandhir’s Work Uses AI-Driven Data Systems to Improve Patient Assistance Fueled by a passion rooted in personal experience, Mandhir began addressing healthcare’s shortcomings by incorporating concepts like machine learning and artificial intelligence into Elevance Health’s patient data systems. Some of the ways he’s contributed to a better healthcare system include: The Implementation of Data-Driven Decision-Making: Mandhir created an AI-powered system that generates insights and recommendations for providers based on patient data. This has helped physicians get a better sense of their patients’ situations and use more personalized approaches. As a result, Elevance Health saw a 20% improvement in data quality.


The Creation of the Health OS Platform: Mandhir was also the lead behind the Health Operating System (Health OS), a virtual platform that integrates patients’ health information into a single “lifetime” patient record. This system streamlines tasks like filling out paperwork for each different provider by having all relevant information in one centralized place. It also allows health teams to better plan a patient’s treatment over time, aided by the system’s insights. Thanks to these efforts, Mandhir has worked toward making medicine more affordable. For example, the insights gained from data-powered health monitoring allow patients to start precautionary treatments earlier and reduce unwanted expenses like hospital stays. They also help providers calculate costs more accurately based on a patient’s health plan. Whole Health: A Holistic Approach to Healthcare Data Improving the quality of patient health records was only the first step toward making quality medical services more accessible to patients. Mandhir has tailored his machine learning systems to fit the “whole health” approach to healthcare. Whole health is a mindset that recognizes that a patient’s health consists of more than just their physical condition — it includes their mental well-being, behavioral conditions, and social factors like their living situation. Additionally, according to this philosophy, all of these factors should be considered when addressing a patient’s access to health services. To this end, Mandhir assisted in developing the Whole Health Index, a tool that gathers patient data from multiple sources (like health records, surveys, and community organizations) and creates a thorough overview of a patient’s health profile and financial situation. This holistic approach has been key to enhancing patient-provider communication. By understanding what the patient can and can’t afford, both parties can work to find a cost-effective, high-quality treatment option. Not only does that build patient trust in the healthcare industry, but it also leads to improved health outcomes. Mandhir’s Continued Efforts to Bridge Gaps in Healthcare Delivery By seizing the latest developments in emerging technology like AI, Mandhir plans to reinforce data security and privacy in platforms like Health OS to build further trust with providers. He also aims to make the whole health approach a fixed industry standard to change the public perception of the healthcare system. Mandhir also keeps an open dialogue with policymakers and stakeholders to advocate for price disclosure and accessibility as a broader societal change. Mandhir believes that healthcare should not be a privilege but a right. And with his technical expertise, in-depth knowledge of the healthcare system, and personal life experience, he’s dedicated his career to turning this vision into a reality. This story was distributed by Jon Stojan Media under HackerNoon’s Brand As An Author Program. Learn more about the program here: https://business.hackernoon.com/brand-as-author Every year, people around the world find themselves unable to cover basic medical costs. In fact, about half of U.S. adults currently have trouble affording healthcare . This is caused by issues like the high cost of hospital care and a lack of pharmaceutical price transparency, resulting in a faulty system that continues to leave millions out. about half of U.S. adults currently have trouble affording healthcare about half of U.S. adults currently have trouble affording healthcare However, industry experts like Mandhir seek to address these issues. As a senior lead engineer at Elevance Health, Mandhir has been instrumental in using patient data to create a unique, AI-powered system that helps users access personalized medical services. He’s also worked to establish a broader vision of patient care that not only considers physical factors but also takes into account social, behavioral, and mental elements. Learn more about Mandhir’s work and how he’s worked to make medical costs more affordable for millions of people worldwide. The Current Challenges in Healthcare The Current Challenges in Healthcare Most problems in the American healthcare industry can be traced to a lack of transparency. Under the current system, patients have no way of knowing the full cost of their treatments until the bill is already due, whether it’s hospital fees, prescription drugs, or insurance coverage. This leaves patients susceptible to surprise medical bills that can quickly wipe out savings. Additionally, most facilities don’t have the proper infrastructure to store and organize the massive amounts of patient data that the healthcare industry generates every day. This makes it difficult for providers to access vital records, but it also means they can get inconsistent or incomplete data, making it harder to get the full picture of a patient’s health problems. Without a unified communication system among providers that keeps data synchronized and all in one place, patient care suffers as doctors inaccurately assess their needs (due to a lack of good data). It also leads to conflicting reports and unnecessary additional expenses, significantly contributing to a healthcare system that’s already rife with disparities in price and quality. Advocating for Transparency: Mandhir’s Commitment to a Better Healthcare Ecosystem Advocating for Transparency: Mandhir’s Commitment to a Better Healthcare Ecosystem Mandhir has understood the importance of healthcare accessibility since he was a child. Raised in a remote village in Punjab, India, he saw firsthand how families around him struggled to afford basic health treatments, even going as far as to sell their property. When he moved to the United States, he was impressed by many advancements in healthcare, but he was even more surprised that healthcare was almost just as inaccessible despite its innovations. After receiving his Bachelor of Technology from the Punjab Technical University, he worked for over 13 years as a technology architect for the second-largest Indian IT company, Infosys. During this time, he worked on claim adjudication systems for Anthem, one of the largest health companies in the US, and gained great insight into the inner workings of the country’s healthcare sector. This experience eventually led Mandhir to work directly for Anthem, now called Elevance Health. As a senior lead engineer, he’s used his position and talents over the years to spearhead significant developments in data-driven healthcare technology. How Mandhir’s Work Uses AI-Driven Data Systems to Improve Patient Assistance How Mandhir’s Work Uses AI-Driven Data Systems to Improve Patient Assistance Fueled by a passion rooted in personal experience, Mandhir began addressing healthcare’s shortcomings by incorporating concepts like machine learning and artificial intelligence into Elevance Health’s patient data systems. Some of the ways he’s contributed to a better healthcare system include: The Implementation of Data-Driven Decision-Making: Mandhir created an AI-powered system that generates insights and recommendations for providers based on patient data. This has helped physicians get a better sense of their patients’ situations and use more personalized approaches. As a result, Elevance Health saw a 20% improvement in data quality. The Creation of the Health OS Platform: Mandhir was also the lead behind the Health Operating System (Health OS), a virtual platform that integrates patients’ health information into a single “lifetime” patient record. This system streamlines tasks like filling out paperwork for each different provider by having all relevant information in one centralized place. It also allows health teams to better plan a patient’s treatment over time, aided by the system’s insights. The Implementation of Data-Driven Decision-Making: Mandhir created an AI-powered system that generates insights and recommendations for providers based on patient data. This has helped physicians get a better sense of their patients’ situations and use more personalized approaches. As a result, Elevance Health saw a 20% improvement in data quality. The Implementation of Data-Driven Decision-Making : Mandhir created an AI-powered system that generates insights and recommendations for providers based on patient data. This has helped physicians get a better sense of their patients’ situations and use more personalized approaches. As a result, Elevance Health saw a 20% improvement in data quality. The Implementation of Data-Driven Decision-Making The Creation of the Health OS Platform: Mandhir was also the lead behind the Health Operating System (Health OS), a virtual platform that integrates patients’ health information into a single “lifetime” patient record. This system streamlines tasks like filling out paperwork for each different provider by having all relevant information in one centralized place. It also allows health teams to better plan a patient’s treatment over time, aided by the system’s insights. The Creation of the Health OS Platform : Mandhir was also the lead behind the Health Operating System (Health OS), a virtual platform that integrates patients’ health information into a single “lifetime” patient record. This system streamlines tasks like filling out paperwork for each different provider by having all relevant information in one centralized place. It also allows health teams to better plan a patient’s treatment over time, aided by the system’s insights. The Creation of the Health OS Platform Thanks to these efforts, Mandhir has worked toward making medicine more affordable. For example, the insights gained from data-powered health monitoring allow patients to start precautionary treatments earlier and reduce unwanted expenses like hospital stays. They also help providers calculate costs more accurately based on a patient’s health plan. Whole Health: A Holistic Approach to Healthcare Data Whole Health: A Holistic Approach to Healthcare Data Improving the quality of patient health records was only the first step toward making quality medical services more accessible to patients. Mandhir has tailored his machine learning systems to fit the “whole health” approach to healthcare. Whole health is a mindset that recognizes that a patient’s health consists of more than just their physical condition — it includes their mental well-being, behavioral conditions, and social factors like their living situation. Additionally, according to this philosophy, all of these factors should be considered when addressing a patient’s access to health services. To this end, Mandhir assisted in developing the Whole Health Index, a tool that gathers patient data from multiple sources (like health records, surveys, and community organizations) and creates a thorough overview of a patient’s health profile and financial situation. This holistic approach has been key to enhancing patient-provider communication. By understanding what the patient can and can’t afford, both parties can work to find a cost-effective, high-quality treatment option. Not only does that build patient trust in the healthcare industry, but it also leads to improved health outcomes. Mandhir’s Continued Efforts to Bridge Gaps in Healthcare Delivery Mandhir’s Continued Efforts to Bridge Gaps in Healthcare Delivery By seizing the latest developments in emerging technology like AI, Mandhir plans to reinforce data security and privacy in platforms like Health OS to build further trust with providers. He also aims to make the whole health approach a fixed industry standard to change the public perception of the healthcare system. Mandhir also keeps an open dialogue with policymakers and stakeholders to advocate for price disclosure and accessibility as a broader societal change. Mandhir believes that healthcare should not be a privilege but a right. And with his technical expertise, in-depth knowledge of the healthcare system, and personal life experience, he’s dedicated his career to turning this vision into a reality. This story was distributed by Jon Stojan Media under HackerNoon’s Brand As An Author Program. Learn more about the program here: https://business.hackernoon.com/brand-as-author This story was distributed by Jon Stojan Media under HackerNoon’s Brand As An Author Program. Learn more about the program here: https://business.hackernoon.com/brand-as-author This story was distributed by Jon Stojan Media under HackerNoon’s Brand As An Author Program. Learn more about the program here: https://business.hackernoon.com/brand-as-author https://business.hackernoon.com/brand-as-author

Transforming Healthcare: Mandhir's Quest for Affordable Medical Access with AI

ট্রান্সফর্মিং হেলথ কেয়ার: এআই সহ সাশ্রয়ী মূল্যের চিকিৎসা অ্যাক্সেসের জন্য মন্দিরের কোয়েস্ট

Transformation des Gesundheitswesens: Mandhirs Streben nach erschwinglichem Zugang zur medizinischen Versorgung mithilfe von KI

Transformando la atención médica: la búsqueda de Mandhir de un acceso médico asequible con inteligencia artificial

Transformer les soins de santé : la quête de Mandhir pour un accès médical abordable grâce à l'IA

स्वास्थ्य सेवा में बदलाव: एआई के साथ सस्ती चिकित्सा पहुंच के लिए मंधीर की खोज

ヘルスケアの変革: AI を活用した手頃な医療アクセスの実現を目指す Mandhir の取り組み

의료 혁신: AI를 통한 저렴한 의료 접근성을 위한 Mandhir의 탐구

Transformando a saúde: a busca de Mandhir por acesso médico acessível com IA

Преобразование здравоохранения: стремление Мандира к доступному медицинскому доступу с помощью ИИ

Sağlık Hizmetlerini Dönüştürmek: Mandhir'in Yapay Zeka ile Uygun Fiyatlı Tıbbi Erişim Arayışı

Chuyển đổi chăm sóc sức khỏe: Nhiệm vụ của Mandhir về khả năng tiếp cận y tế giá cả phải chăng với AI

医疗转型：Mandhir 寻求利用人工智能实现平价医疗服务

Authors:
(1) Prabath Jayatissa, University of Colombo
(2) Roshan Hewapathirane, University of Colombo Table of Links Abstract & Introduction Methodology Results Conclusion & References ABSTRACT The review article aims to provide an overview of the challenges and strategies for enhancing interoperability among health information systems in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Achieving interoperability in LMICs presents unique challenges due to various factors, such as limited resources, fragmented health information systems, and diverse health IT infrastructure. The methodology involves conducting a comprehensive literature review, synthesising findings, identifying challenges and strategies, analysing and interpreting results, and writing and finalising the article. The article highlights that the interoperability challenges include a lack of standardisation, fragmented systems, limited resources, and data privacy concerns. The article proposes strategies to enhance interoperability in LMICs, such as standardisation of data formats and protocols, consolidation of health information systems, investment in health IT infrastructure, and capacity building of health IT professionals in LMICs. The article aims to provide insights into the current state and potential strategies for enhancing interoperability among health information systems in LMICs, intending to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes in these KEYWORDS Interoperability, Health information systems, low and middle-income countries (LMICs), challenges, strategies, standardisation 1. INTRODUCTION Health information systems (HISs) are critical in supporting the delivery of quality healthcare services, improving patient outcomes, and informing evidence-based decision-making. HIS faces unique challenges in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to limited resources, infrastructure, and capacity. One key challenge is the lack of interoperability, which refers to the ability of different HISs to exchange and use health information effectively. Interoperability is crucial for achieving seamless data exchange, coordination of care, and integration of health services. It enables healthcare providers to access and share patient information across different systems, facilitating timely and informed decision-making. However, achieving interoperability in LMICs is complex and poses several barriers, including technical, organisational, and financial challenges. This review article aims to highlight the challenges and strategies for enhancing interoperability among HIS in LMICs. We will explore the current state of interoperability in LMICs, identify the challenges faced by these countries, and discuss the strategies that can be employed to overcome these challenges. We will also highlight the importance of standardization, consolidation, investment, and capacity building as key strategies for improving interoperability in LMICs. By addressing these challenges and implementing appropriate strategies, LMICs can unlock the full potential of HIS to improve healthcare outcomes and achieve better health for their populations. This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license. Authors: (1) Prabath Jayatissa, University of Colombo (2) Roshan Hewapathirane, University of Colombo Authors: Authors: (1) Prabath Jayatissa, University of Colombo (2) Roshan Hewapathirane, University of Colombo Table of Links Abstract & Introduction Abstract & Introduction Methodology Methodology Results Results Conclusion & References Conclusion & References ABSTRACT The review article aims to provide an overview of the challenges and strategies for enhancing interoperability among health information systems in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Achieving interoperability in LMICs presents unique challenges due to various factors, such as limited resources, fragmented health information systems, and diverse health IT infrastructure. The methodology involves conducting a comprehensive literature review, synthesising findings, identifying challenges and strategies, analysing and interpreting results, and writing and finalising the article. The article highlights that the interoperability challenges include a lack of standardisation, fragmented systems, limited resources, and data privacy concerns. The article proposes strategies to enhance interoperability in LMICs, such as standardisation of data formats and protocols, consolidation of health information systems, investment in health IT infrastructure, and capacity building of health IT professionals in LMICs. The article aims to provide insights into the current state and potential strategies for enhancing interoperability among health information systems in LMICs, intending to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes in these KEYWORDS KEYWORDS Interoperability, Health information systems, low and middle-income countries (LMICs), challenges, strategies, standardisation 1. INTRODUCTION Health information systems (HISs) are critical in supporting the delivery of quality healthcare services, improving patient outcomes, and informing evidence-based decision-making. HIS faces unique challenges in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to limited resources, infrastructure, and capacity. One key challenge is the lack of interoperability, which refers to the ability of different HISs to exchange and use health information effectively. Interoperability is crucial for achieving seamless data exchange, coordination of care, and integration of health services. It enables healthcare providers to access and share patient information across different systems, facilitating timely and informed decision-making. However, achieving interoperability in LMICs is complex and poses several barriers, including technical, organisational, and financial challenges. This review article aims to highlight the challenges and strategies for enhancing interoperability among HIS in LMICs. We will explore the current state of interoperability in LMICs, identify the challenges faced by these countries, and discuss the strategies that can be employed to overcome these challenges. We will also highlight the importance of standardization, consolidation, investment, and capacity building as key strategies for improving interoperability in LMICs. By addressing these challenges and implementing appropriate strategies, LMICs can unlock the full potential of HIS to improve healthcare outcomes and achieve better health for their populations. This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license. This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license. available on arxiv

Enhancing Interoperability Among Health Information Systems in Low- and Middle- Income Countries

I did proceed to Windsor, but not with the intention of remaining there

A Floating City and The Blockade Runners by Jules Verne, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . Chapter XXXIX here CHAPTER XXXIX. Some minutes later we were descending a long flight of steps on the Canadian side, which led to the banks of the river, covered with huge sheets of ice. Here a boat was waiting to take us to “America.” One passenger had already taken his place in it. He was an engineer from Kentucky, and acquainted the Doctor with his name and profession. We embarked without loss of time, and by dint of steering, so as to avoid the blocks of ice, reached the middle of the river, where the current offered a clear passage. From here we had a last view of the magnificent Niagara cataract. Our companion observed it with a thoughtful air. “Is it not grand, sir? Is it not magnificent?” said I to him. “Yes,” replied he; “but what a waste of mechanical force, and what a mill might be turned with such a fall as that!” Never did I feel more inclined to pitch an engineer into the water! On the other bank a small and almost vertical railroad, worked by a rope on the American side, hoisted us to the top. At half-past one we took the express, which put us down at Buffalo at a quarter past two. After visiting this large new town, and tasting the water of Lake Erie, we again took the New York Central Railway at six o’clock in the evening. The next day, on leaving the comfortable beds of a “sleeping car,” we found ourselves at Albany, and the Hudson Railroad, which runs along the left bank of the river, brought us to New York a few hours later. The next day, the 15th of April, in company with the indefatigable Doctor, I went over the city, East River, and Brooklyn. In the evening I bade farewell to the good Dean Pitferge, and I felt, in leaving him, that I left a friend. Tuesday, the 16th of April, was the day fixed for the departure of the “Great Eastern.” At eleven o’clock I went to Thirty-seventh pier, where the tender was to await the passengers. It was already filled with people and luggage when I embarked. Just as the tender was leaving the quay some one caught hold of my arm, and turning round I saw Dr. Pitferge. “You!” I cried; “and are you going back to Europe?” “Yes, my dear sir.” “By the ‘Great Eastern’?” “Undoubtedly,” replied the amiable original, smiling; “I have considered the matter, and have come to the conclusion that I must go. Only think, this may be the ‘Great Eastern’s’ .” last voyage; the one which she will never complete The bell for departure had rung, when one of the waiters from Fifth Avenue Hotel came running up to me, and put a telegram into my hands, dated from Niagara Falls:—“Ellen has awakened; her reason has entirely returned to her,” said Captain Corsican, “and the doctor has every hope of her recovery.” I communicated this good news to Dean Pitferge. “Every hope for her indeed! every hope!” said my fellow-traveller, in a sarcastic tone. “I also have every hope for her, but what good does that do? Any one may have great hopes for you, for me, for all of us, but at the same time he may be just as much wrong as right.”... Twelve days later we reached Brest, and the day following Paris. The return passage was made without any misfortune, to the great displeasure of Dean Pitferge, who always expected to see the great ship wrecked. And now, when I am sitting at my own table, if I had not my daily notes before me, I should think that the “Great Eastern,” that floating city in which I lived for a month, the meeting of Ellen and Fabian, the peerless Niagara, all these were the visions of a dream. Ah! how delightful is travelling, “even when one does return,” in spite of what the Doctor may say to the contrary. For eight months I heard nothing of my original, but one day the post brought me a letter, covered with many-coloured stamps, which began with these words:— “On board the ‘Corinquay,’ Auckland Rocks. At last we have been shipwrecked.” And ended thus:— “Was never in better health.” “Very heartily yours, Dean Pitferge.” END OF “A FLOATING CITY.” About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Jules Verne (2022). A Floating City and The Blockade Runners. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/files/67829/67829-h/67829-h.htm This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

Here a boat was waiting to take us to “America.”

Let's learn about via these 34 free stories. They are ordered by most time reading created on HackerNoon. Visit the to find the most read stories about any technology. Advice /Learn Repo 1. Use These 11 Meta-Skills to Accelerate Your Career Zain Kahn goes over 11 meta-skills to accelerate your career. `` 2. Founder Advice: Choosing the Right Cloud Infrastructure Can Make a Big Difference Choosing the right cloud provider can make a big difference in how bumpy the road to success will be. 3. 6 Most Important Things Every Junior Developer Should Know My very first software development job was for my parent’s company. I had been poking around on a Commodore 64 for a couple of years and even had a few working pieces of code on Floppy disks that I would take over to my friends house and copy for them to use (Old School Github). Mom and Dad bought a new computer system that did not do what they needed it to do. My sheer luck, the system was written in a dialect of BASIC. Since I pretended to know BASIC, I stepped up and was officially a software developer. 4. The Most Valuable Business Advice I Ever Received Mason Pelt describes the best business advice he has gotten. 5. Life Spoilers: Nobody Knows What They're Doing In an uncertain and polarised world, some things are worth remembering. 6. In a world full of experts, be a newbie There’s no such thing as an expert. The experts are just newbies who never stopped learning. So instead of feeling sorry for yourself, embrace your inner newbie 7. The Surprising Benefits of Intermittent Fasting for Software Engineers Discover the numerous benefits of intermittent fasting for software engineers, including weight loss, improved cognitive function, and better health. 8. The Elusive Work-Life Balance The quest to achieve a work-life-balance is never-ending, but if you understand the problem, the solution isn't that far away. 9. Future-Proof Your Career by Building a Strong Online Presence Having a strong online presence accelerates your career and gives you optionality. Yet, many knowledge workers are getting left behind. 10. How I Keep Sane While Earning My PhD 🧠 Hello All 👋, 11. Why Startups Are Better To Work For Last fall as I started my last year at UCLA, I aggressively applied and interviewed for programming jobs. The decision agonized me for weeks and I devoured career guides and advice. And in the end, I chose a small 50 person startup over exciting companies like Facebook, Stripe, and Cruise. I basically chose less money for more work mostly because it was a startup. 12. What is a Minimum Viable Product? - Essential Features and Guidelines A Minimum Viable Product is the initial version of your mobile application that contains the main features needed to satisfy the user’s problems. 13. Four Reasons Why Programmers Are Naturally Inclined to Become Good Writers Using programming as a mindset 14. Connected Watches or Traditional Watches? In this opinion, we will focus on two types of watches: the traditional watch and the connected watch. 15. Becoming a Rich Writer: The Tale of Two Writers This vision is hard — nearly impossible — to achieve for many writers. 16. WTF Are APIs? If you’re a working professional, you’ve probably heard your coworkers talk about APIs, Web Services, endpoints, and other weird words like 200 and 401. What the heck does it mean and what’s the difference between them? 17. When You Should use Redux with APIs Have you been studying React and heard about Redux at some point, right? You get interested and start learning the concepts behind Redux, everything cool until now, but then you start working on a project that makes some API calls and you start wondering, when should I use Redux? 18. The growing pains of becoming an Intermediate developer 19. Great Artists Steal: A Product Manager’s 56 best (and stolen) Insights from 2021 A collection of 56 ideas I came across or developed working as a product manager in 2021. 20. From Payless Source to Information Technology When talking to people who are new to the world of computers (and who are hoping to land a job), I like to share my story of how my career began. I don’t do this for bragging rights or to make them envious of me. Rather it’s so that they may find some inspiration in what I have to say and be able to see that anything is possible once you put your mind to it. 21. 5 Warranted Ways to Annoy a Journalist with Your Email Journalists get thousands of emails, ignore weird messages, and aren't surprised by almost anything that comes their way. 22. From App Idea To Implementation [Guideline] When you have an app idea, you need to get things sorted out before you jump onto the development train. Getting the right people at the table, talking to users and defining your blueprint will help you to get things sorted out. Read on if you want to get solid advice on doing so. 23. 11 Lessons I Learned as a Tech Founder I’ve been a full-time founder for almost a year but have been into startup culture for most of my professional career as a software engineer (~4 years). 24. Six Crucial Startup Lessons I Would Share With My Younger Self In hindsight, the first business I started had all the ingredients to succeed. I just didn’t realize it at the time. 25. 31 Lessons Learned From 10,000 Hours of Programming Well, I'm certainly not a world-class expert, but I have put my 10,000 hours of deliberate practice into programming. 26. Why We Should Opt Out of the Attention Economy The Value of Attention - why your attention is so valuable and why you're selling it too cheaply 27. 9 Experts Weigh In: How to Launch Your Blockchain Startup in 2021 At the end of 2020, I gathered up the opinions of nine startup founders who shared their views of 2021, and in this article you will find out how they answered. 28. Have You Ever Been Told Your Business Idea Sucks? How to know which feedback to listen to for your startup. 29. Covid19: What Can MSME Do To Overcome The Challenges Not long ago I posted a heartfelt 2 cents to the Government (Malaysia) in regards to the MSME (Micro Small Medium Enterprise) challenges, hopefully they might hear our little voices out. 30. Powerful Tips To Help You Learn Programming Language Here I have shared some of the tips, that my mentor gave me, on how to start learning programming which you can follow to become better programmer within a year 31. 21 Keys to Building Better Business Software I know, 21 is a lot of keys. Software development is complex, don't let anyone tell you different. I imagine some of these points will resonate with you and hopefully some will be new and enlightening. 32. Finding Market Fit Modern startup advice is to launch and grow revenue as quickly as possible, as aggressively as possible. 33. HTML and CSS Tips From a Newbie About a month ago I started Microverse’s Technical Curriculum and two days ago I finished its first module, HTML and CSS. 34. Don’t Be Ashamed of Tutorial Hell. Embrace it. Learning is a process of creating knowledge in your brain. You have to allow your brain to make connections. 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34 Stories To Learn About Advice

Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . Chapter XXXVII here CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVENTH. The Western Route.—Joe wakes up.—His Obstinacy.—End of Joe’s Narrative.—Tagelei.—Kennedy’s Anxieties.—The Route to the North.—A Night near Aghades. During the night the wind lulled as though reposing after the boisterousness of the day, and the remained quietly at the top of the tall sycamore. The doctor and Kennedy kept watch by turns, and Joe availed himself of the chance to sleep most sturdily for twenty-four hours at a stretch. Victoria “That’s the remedy he needs,” said Dr. Ferguson. “Nature will take charge of his care.” With the dawn the wind sprang up again in quite strong, and moreover capricious gusts. It shifted abruptly from south to north, but finally the was carried away by it toward the west. Victoria The doctor, map in hand, recognized the kingdom of Damerghou, an undulating region of great fertility, in which the huts that compose the villages are constructed of long reeds interwoven with branches of the . The grain-mills were seen raised in the cultivated fields, upon small scaffoldings or platforms, to keep them out of the reach of the mice and the huge ants of that country. asclepia They soon passed the town of Zinder, recognized by its spacious place of execution, in the centre of which stands the “tree of death.” At its foot the executioner stands waiting, and whoever passes beneath its shadow is immediately hung! Upon consulting his compass, Kennedy could not refrain from saying: “Look! we are again moving northward.” “No matter; if it only takes us to Timbuctoo, we shall not complain. Never was a finer voyage accomplished under better circumstances!” “Nor in better health,” said Joe, at that instant thrusting his jolly countenance from between the curtains of the awning. “There he is! there’s our gallant friend—our preserver!” exclaimed Kennedy, cordially.—“How goes it, Joe?” “Oh! why, naturally enough, Mr. Kennedy, very naturally! I never felt better in my life! Nothing sets a man up like a little pleasure-trip with a bath in Lake Tchad to start on—eh, doctor?” “Brave fellow!” said Ferguson, pressing Joe’s hand, “what terrible anxiety you caused us!” “Humph! and you, sir? Do you think that I felt easy in my mind about you, gentlemen? You gave me a fine fright, let me tell you!” “We shall never agree in the world, Joe, if you take things in that style.” “I see that his tumble hasn’t changed him a bit,” added Kennedy. “Your devotion and self-forgetfulness were sublime, my brave lad, and they saved us, for the was falling into the lake, and, once there, nobody could have extricated her.” Victoria “But, if my devotion, as you are pleased to call my summerset, saved you, did it not save me too, for here we are, all three of us, in first-rate health? Consequently we have nothing to squabble about in the whole affair.” “Oh! we can never come to a settlement with that youth,” said the sportsman. “The best way to settle it,” replied Joe, “is to say nothing more about the matter. What’s done is done. Good or bad, we can’t take it back.” “You obstinate fellow!” said the doctor, laughing; “you can’t refuse, though, to tell us your adventures, at all events.” “Not if you think it worth while. But, in the first place, I’m going to cook this fat goose to a turn, for I see that Mr. Kennedy has not wasted his time.” “All right, Joe!” “Well, let us see then how this African game will sit on a European stomach!” The goose was soon roasted by the flame of the blow-pipe, and not long afterward was comfortably stowed away. Joe took his own good share, like a man who had eaten nothing for several days. After the tea and the punch, he acquainted his friends with his recent adventures. He spoke with some emotion, even while looking at things with his usual philosophy. The doctor could not refrain from frequently pressing his hand when he saw his worthy servant more considerate of his master’s safety than of his own, and, in relation to the sinking of the island of the Biddiomahs, he explained to him the frequency of this phenomenon upon Lake Tchad. At length Joe, continuing his recital, arrived at the point where, sinking in the swamp, he had uttered a last cry of despair. “I thought I was gone,” said he, “and as you came right into my mind, I made a hard fight for it. How, I couldn’t tell you—but I’d made up my mind that I wouldn’t go under without knowing why. Just then, I saw—two or three feet from me—what do you think? the end of a rope that had been fresh cut; so I took leave to make another jerk, and, by hook or by crook, I got to the rope. When I pulled, it didn’t give; so I pulled again and hauled away and there I was on dry ground! At the end of the rope, I found an anchor! Ah, master, I’ve a right to call that the anchor of safety, anyhow, if you have no objection. I knew it again! It was the anchor of the You had grounded there! So I followed the direction of the rope and that gave me your direction, and, after trying hard a few times more, I got out of the swamp. I had got my strength back with my spunk, and I walked on part of the night away from the lake, until I got to the edge of a very big wood. There I saw a fenced-in place, where some horses were grazing, without thinking of any harm. Now, there are times when everybody knows how to ride a horse, are there not, doctor? So I didn’t spend much time thinking about it, but jumped right on the back of one of those innocent animals and away we went galloping north as fast as our legs could carry us. I needn’t tell you about the towns that I didn’t see nor the villages that I took good care to go around. No! I crossed the ploughed fields; I leaped the hedges; I scrambled over the fences; I dug my heels into my nag; I thrashed him; I fairly lifted the poor fellow off his feet! At last I got to the end of the tilled land. Good! There was the desert. ‘That suits me!’ said I, ‘for I can see better ahead of me and farther too.’ I was hoping all the time to see the balloon tacking about and waiting for me. But not a bit of it; and so, in about three hours, I go plump, like a fool, into a camp of Arabs! Whew! what a hunt that was! You see, Mr. Kennedy, a hunter don’t know what a real hunt is until he’s been hunted himself! Still I advise him not to try it if he can keep out of it! My horse was so tired, he was ready to drop off his legs; they were close on me; I threw myself to the ground; then I jumped up again behind an Arab! I didn’t mean the fellow any harm, and I hope he has no grudge against me for choking him, but I saw you—and you know the rest. The came on at my heels, and you caught me up flying, as a circus-rider does a ring. Wasn’t I right in counting on you? Now, doctor, you see how simple all that was! Nothing more natural in the world! I’m ready to begin over again, if it would be of any service to you. And besides, master, as I said a while ago, it’s not worth mentioning.” Victoria! Victoria “My noble, gallant Joe!” said the doctor, with great feeling. “Heart of gold! we were not astray in trusting to your intelligence and skill.” “Poh! doctor, one has only just to follow things along as they happen, and he can always work his way out of a scrape! The safest plan, you see, is to take matters as they come.” While Joe was telling his experience, the balloon had rapidly passed over a long reach of country, and Kennedy soon pointed out on the horizon a collection of structures that looked like a town. The doctor glanced at his map and recognized the place as the large village of Tagelei, in the Damerghou country. “Here,” said he, “we come upon Dr. Barth’s route. It was at this place that he parted from his companions, Richardson and Overweg; the first was to follow the Zinder route, and the second that of Maradi; and you may remember that, of these three travellers, Barth was the only one who ever returned to Europe.” “Then,” said Kennedy, following out on the map the direction of the , “we are going due north.” Victoria “Due north, Dick.” “And don’t that give you a little uneasiness?” “Why should it?” “Because that line leads to Tripoli, and over the Great Desert.” “Oh, we shall not go so far as that, my friend—at least, I hope not.” “But where do you expect to halt?” “Come, Dick, don’t you feel some curiosity to see Timbuctoo?” “Timbuctoo?” “Certainly,” said Joe; “nobody nowadays can think of making the trip to Africa without going to see Timbuctoo.” “You will be only the fifth or sixth European who has ever set eyes on that mysterious city.” “Ho, then, for Timbuctoo!” “Well, then, let us try to get as far as between the seventeenth and eighteenth degrees of north latitude, and there we will seek a favorable wind to carry us westward.” “Good!” said the hunter. “But have we still far to go to the northward?” “One hundred and fifty miles at least.” “In that case,” said Kennedy, “I’ll turn in and sleep a bit.” “Sleep, sir; sleep!” urged Joe. “And you, doctor, do the same yourself: you must have need of rest, for I made you keep watch a little out of time.” The sportsman stretched himself under the awning; but Ferguson, who was not easily conquered by fatigue, remained at his post. In about three hours the was crossing with extreme rapidity an expanse of stony country, with ranges of lofty, naked mountains of granitic formation at the base. A few isolated peaks attained the height of even four thousand feet. Giraffes, antelopes, and ostriches were seen running and bounding with marvellous agility in the midst of forests of acacias, mimosas, souahs, and date-trees. After the barrenness of the desert, vegetation was now resuming its empire. This was the country of the Kailouas, who veil their faces with a bandage of cotton, like their dangerous neighbors, the Touaregs. Victoria At ten o’clock in the evening, after a splendid trip of two hundred and fifty miles, the halted over an important town. The moonlight revealed glimpses of one district half in ruins; and some pinnacles of mosques and minarets shot up here and there, glistening in the silvery rays. The doctor took a stellar observation, and discovered that he was in the latitude of Aghades. Victoria This city, once the seat of an immense trade, was already falling into ruin when Dr. Barth visited it. The , not being seen in the obscurity of night, descended about two miles above Aghades, in a field of millet. The night was calm, and began to break into dawn about three o’clock A.M.; while a light wind coaxed the balloon westward, and even a little toward the south. Victoria Dr. Ferguson hastened to avail himself of such good fortune, and rapidly ascending resumed his aërial journey amid a long wake of golden morning sunshine. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Jules Verne (2002). Five Weeks in a Balloon. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3526/pg3526-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

The Western Route

Rainbow Valley by L. M. Montgomery, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . A DOUBLE VICTORY CHAPTER XVII. A DOUBLE VICTORY Norman Douglas came to church the first Sunday in November and made all the sensation he desired. Mr. Meredith shook hands with him absently on the church steps and hoped dreamily that Mrs. Douglas was well. “She wasn’t very well just before I buried her ten years ago, but I reckon she has better health now,” boomed Norman, to the horror and amusement of every one except Mr. Meredith, who was absorbed in wondering if he had made the last head of his sermon as clear as he might have, and hadn’t the least idea what Norman had said to him or he to Norman. Norman intercepted Faith at the gate. “Kept my word, you see—kept my word, Red Rose. I’m free now till the first Sunday in December. Fine sermon, girl—fine sermon. Your father has more in his head than he carries on his face. But he contradicted himself once—tell him he contradicted himself. And tell him I want that brimstone sermon in December. Great way to wind up the old year—with a taste of hell, you know. And what’s the matter with a nice tasty discourse on heaven for New Year’s? Though it wouldn’t be half as interesting as hell, girl—not half. Only I’d like to know what your father thinks about heaven—he can think—rarest thing in the world—a person who can think. But he did contradict himself. Ha, ha! Here’s a question you might ask him sometime when he’s awake, girl. ‘Can God make a stone so big He couldn’t lift it Himself?’ Don’t forget now. I want to hear his opinion on it. I’ve stumped many a minister with that, girl.” Faith was glad to escape him and run home. Dan Reese, standing among the crowd of boys at the gate, looked at her and shaped his mouth into “pig-girl,” but dared not utter it aloud just there. Next day in school was a different matter. At noon recess Faith encountered Dan in the little spruce plantation behind the school and Dan shouted once more, “Pig-girl! Pig-girl! Rooster-girl!” Walter Blythe suddenly rose from a mossy cushion behind a little clump of firs where he had been reading. He was very pale, but his eyes blazed. “You hold your tongue, Dan Reese!” he said. “Oh, hello, Miss Walter,” retorted Dan, not at all abashed. He vaulted airily to the top of the rail fence and chanted insultingly, “Cowardy, cowardy-custard Stole a pot of mustard, Cowardy, cowardy-custard!” “You are a coincidence!” said Walter scornfully, turning still whiter. He had only a very hazy idea what a coincidence was, but Dan had none at all and thought it must be something peculiarly opprobrious. “Yah! Cowardy!” he yelled gain. “Your mother writes lies—lies—lies! And Faith Meredith is a pig-girl—a—pig-girl—a pig-girl! And she’s a rooster-girl—a rooster-girl—a rooster-girl! Yah! Cowardy—cowardy—cust—” Dan got no further. Walter had hurled himself across the intervening space and knocked Dan off the fence backward with one well-directed blow. Dan’s sudden inglorious sprawl was greeted with a burst of laughter and a clapping of hands from Faith. Dan sprang up, purple with rage, and began to climb the fence. But just then the school-bell rang and Dan knew what happened to boys who were late during Mr. Hazard’s regime. “We’ll fight this out,” he howled. “Cowardy!” “Any time you like,” said Walter. “Oh, no, no, Walter,” protested Faith. “Don’t fight him. I don’t mind what he says—I wouldn’t condescend to mind the like of him.” “He insulted you and he insulted my mother,” said Walter, with the same deadly calm. “Tonight after school, Dan.” “I’ve got to go right home from school to pick taters after the harrows, dad says,” answered Dan sulkily. “But to-morrow night’ll do.” “All right—here to-morrow night,” agreed Walter. “And I’ll smash your sissy-face for you,” promised Dan. Walter shuddered—not so much from fear of the threat as from repulsion over the ugliness and vulgarity of it. But he held his head high and marched into school. Faith followed in a conflict of emotions. She hated to think of Walter fighting that little sneak, but oh, he had been splendid! And he was going to fight for her—Faith Meredith—to punish her insulter! Of course he would win—such eyes spelled victory. Faith’s confidence in her champion had dimmed a little by evening, however. Walter had seemed so very quiet and dull the rest of the day in school. “If it were only Jem,” she sighed to Una, as they sat on Hezekiah Pollock’s tombstone in the graveyard. “He is such a fighter—he could finish Dan off in no time. But Walter doesn’t know much about fighting.” “I’m so afraid he’ll be hurt,” sighed Una, who hated fighting and couldn’t understand the subtle, secret exultation she divined in Faith. “He oughtn’t to be,” said Faith uncomfortably. “He’s every bit as big as Dan.” “But Dan’s so much older,” said Una. “Why, he’s nearly a year older.” “Dan hasn’t done much fighting when you come to count up,” said Faith. “I believe he’s really a coward. He didn’t think Walter would fight, or he wouldn’t have called names before him. Oh, if you could just have seen Walter’s face when he looked at him, Una! It made me shiver—with a nice shiver. He looked just like Sir Galahad in that poem father read us on Saturday.” “I hate the thought of them fighting and I wish it could be stopped,” said Una. “Oh, it’s got to go on now,” cried Faith. “It’s a matter of honour. Don’t you dare tell anyone, Una. If you do I’ll never tell you secrets again!” “I won’t tell,” agreed Una. “But I won’t stay to-morrow to watch the fight. I’m coming right home.” “Oh, all right. I have to be there—it would be mean not to, when Walter is fighting for me. I’m going to tie my colours on his arm—that’s the thing to do when he’s my knight. How lucky Mrs. Blythe gave me that pretty blue hair-ribbon for my birthday! I’ve only worn it twice so it will be almost new. But I wish I was sure Walter would win. It will be so—so humiliating if he doesn’t.” Faith would have been yet more dubious if she could have seen her champion just then. Walter had gone home from school with all his righteous anger at a low ebb and a very nasty feeling in its place. He had to fight Dan Reese the next night—and he didn’t want to—he hated the thought of it. And he kept thinking of it all the time. Not for a minute could he get away from the thought. Would it hurt much? He was terribly afraid that it would hurt. And would he be defeated and shamed? He could not eat any supper worth speaking of. Susan had made a big batch of his favourite monkey-faces, but he could choke only one down. Jem ate four. Walter wondered how he could. How could anybody eat? And how could they all talk gaily as they were doing? There was mother, with her shining eyes and pink cheeks. She didn’t know her son had to fight next day. Would she be so gay if she knew, Walter wondered darkly. Jem had taken Susan’s picture with his new camera and the result was passed around the table and Susan was terribly indignant over it. “I am no beauty, Mrs. Dr. dear, and well I know it, and have always known it,” she said in an aggrieved tone, “but that I am as ugly as that picture makes me out I will never, no, never believe.” Jem laughed over this and Anne laughed again with him. Walter couldn’t endure it. He got up and fled to his room. “That child has got something on his mind, Mrs. Dr. dear,” said Susan. “He has et next to nothing. Do you suppose he is plotting another poem?” Poor Walter was very far removed in spirit from the starry realms of poesy just then. He propped his elbow on his open window-sill and leaned his head drearily on his hands. “Come on down to the shore, Walter,” cried Jem, busting in. “The boys are going to burn the sand-hill grass to-night. Father says we can go. Come on.” At any other time Walter would have been delighted. He gloried in the burning of the sand-hill grass. But now he flatly refused to go, and no arguments or entreaties could move him. Disappointed Jem, who did not care for the long dark walk to Four Winds Point alone, retreated to his museum in the garret and buried himself in a book. He soon forgot his disappointment, revelling with the heroes of old romance, and pausing occasionally to picture himself a famous general, leading his troops to victory on some great battlefield. Walter sat at his window until bedtime. Di crept in, hoping to be told what was wrong, but Walter could not talk of it, even to Di. Talking of it seemed to give it a reality from which he shrank. It was torture enough to think of it. The crisp, withered leaves rustled on the maple trees outside his window. The glow of rose and flame had died out of the hollow, silvery sky, and the full moon was rising gloriously over Rainbow Valley. Afar off, a ruddy woodfire was painting a page of glory on the horizon beyond the hills. It was a sharp, clear evening when far-away sounds were heard distinctly. A fox was barking across the pond; an engine was puffing down at the Glen station; a blue-jay was screaming madly in the maple grove; there was laughter over on the manse lawn. How could people laugh? How could foxes and blue-jays and engines behave as if nothing were going to happen on the morrow? “Oh, I wish it was over,” groaned Walter. He slept very little that night and had hard work choking down his porridge in the morning. Susan was rather lavish in her platefuls. Mr. Hazard found him an unsatisfactory pupil that day. Faith Meredith’s wits seemed to be wool-gathering, too. Dan Reese kept drawing surreptitious pictures of girls, with pig or rooster heads, on his slate and holding them up for all to see. The news of the coming battle had leaked out and most of the boys and many of the girls were in the spruce plantation when Dan and Walter sought it after school. Una had gone home, but Faith was there, having tied her blue ribbon around Walter’s arm. Walter was thankful that neither Jem nor Di nor Nan were among the crowd of spectators. Somehow they had not heard of what was in the wind and had gone home, too. Walter faced Dan quite undauntedly now. At the last moment all his fear had vanished, but he still felt disgust at the idea of fighting. Dan, it was noted, was really paler under his freckles than Walter was. One of the older boys gave the word and Dan struck Walter in the face. Walter reeled a little. The pain of the blow tingled through all his sensitive frame for a moment. Then he felt pain no longer. Something, such as he had never experienced before, seemed to roll over him like a flood. His face flushed crimson, his eyes burned like flame. The scholars of Glen St. Mary school had never dreamed that “Miss Walter” could look like that. He hurled himself forward and closed with Dan like a young wildcat. There were no particular rules in the fights of the Glen school boys. It was catch-as-catch can, and get your blows in anyhow. Walter fought with a savage fury and a joy in the struggle against which Dan could not hold his ground. It was all over very speedily. Walter had no clear consciousness of what he was doing until suddenly the red mist cleared from his sight and he found himself kneeling on the body of the prostrate Dan whose nose—oh, horror!—was spouting blood. “Have you had enough?” demanded Walter through his clenched teeth. Dan sulkily admitted that he had. “My mother doesn’t write lies?” “No.” “Faith Meredith isn’t a pig-girl?” “No.” “Nor a rooster-girl?” “No.” “And I’m not a coward?” “No.” Walter had intended to ask, “And you are a liar?” but pity intervened and he did not humiliate Dan further. Besides, that blood was so horrible. “You can go, then,” he said contemptuously. There was a loud clapping from the boys who were perched on the rail fence, but some of the girls were crying. They were frightened. They had seen schoolboy fights before, but nothing like Walter as he had grappled with Dan. There had been something terrifying about him. They thought he would kill Dan. Now that all was over they sobbed hysterically—except Faith, who still stood tense and crimson cheeked. Walter did not stay for any conqueror’s meed. He sprang over the fence and rushed down the spruce hill to Rainbow Valley. He felt none of the victor’s joy, but he felt a certain calm satisfaction in duty done and honour avenged—mingled with a sickish qualm when he thought of Dan’s gory nose. It had been so ugly, and Walter hated ugliness. Also, he began to realize that he himself was somewhat sore and battered up. His lip was cut and swollen and one eye felt very strange. In Rainbow Valley he encountered Mr. Meredith, who was coming home from an afternoon call on the Miss Wests. That reverend gentleman looked gravely at him. “It seems to me that you have been fighting, Walter?” “Yes, sir,” said Walter, expecting a scolding. “What was it about?” “Dan Reese said my mother wrote lies and that that Faith was a pig-girl,” answered Walter bluntly. “Oh—h! Then you were certainly justified, Walter.” “Do you think it’s right to fight, sir?” asked Walter curiously. “Not always—and not often—but sometimes—yes, sometimes,” said John Meredith. “When womenkind are insulted for instance—as in your case. My motto, Walter, is, don’t fight till you’re sure you ought to, and then put every ounce of you into it. In spite of sundry discolorations I infer that you came off best.” “Yes. I made him take it all back.” “Very good—very good, indeed. I didn’t think you were such a fighter, Walter.” “I never fought before—and I didn’t want to right up to the last—and then,” said Walter, determined to make a clean breast of it, “I liked it while I was at it.” The Rev. John’s eyes twinkled. “You were—a little frightened—at first?” “I was a whole lot frightened,” said honest Walter. “But I’m not going to be frightened any more, sir. Being frightened of things is worse than the things themselves. I’m going to ask father to take me over to Lowbridge to-morrow to get my tooth out.” “Right again. ‘Fear is more pain than is the pain it fears.’ Do you know who wrote that, Walter? It was Shakespeare. Was there any feeling or emotion or experience of the human heart that that wonderful man did not know? When you go home tell your mother I am proud of you.” Walter did not tell her that, however; but he told her all the rest, and she sympathized with him and told him she was glad he had stood up for her and Faith, and she anointed his sore spots and rubbed cologne on his aching head. “Are all mothers as nice as you?” asked Walter, hugging her. “You’re worth standing up for.” Miss Cornelia and Susan were in the living room when Anne came downstairs, and listened to the story with much enjoyment. Susan in particular was highly gratified. “I am real glad to hear he has had a good fight, Mrs. Dr. dear. Perhaps it may knock that poetry nonsense out of him. And I never, no, never could bear that little viper of a Dan Reese. Will you not sit nearer to the fire, Mrs. Marshall Elliott? These November evenings are very chilly.” “Thank you, Susan, I’m not cold. I called at the manse before I came here and got quite warm—though I had to go to the kitchen to do it, for there was no fire anywhere else. The kitchen looked as if it had been stirred up with a stick, believe me. Mr. Meredith wasn’t home. I couldn’t find out where he was, but I have an idea that he was up at the Wests’. Do you know, Anne dearie, they say he has been going there frequently all the fall and people are beginning to think he is going to see Rosemary.” “He would get a very charming wife if he married Rosemary,” said Anne, piling driftwood on the fire. “She is one of the most delightful girls I’ve ever known—truly one of the race of Joseph.” “Ye—s—only she is an Episcopalian,” said Miss Cornelia doubtfully. “Of course, that is better than if she was a Methodist—but I do think Mr. Meredith could find a good enough wife in his own denomination. However, very likely there is nothing in it. It’s only a month ago that I said to him, ‘You ought to marry again, Mr. Meredith.’ He looked as shocked as if I had suggested something improper. ‘My wife is in her grave, Mrs. Elliott,’ he said, in that gentle, saintly way of his. ‘I suppose so,’ I said, ‘or I wouldn’t be advising you to marry again.’ Then he looked more shocked than ever. So I doubt if there is much in this Rosemary story. If a single minister calls twice at a house where there is a single woman all the gossips have it he is courting her.” “It seems to me—if I may presume to say so—that Mr. Meredith is too shy to go courting a second wife,” said Susan solemnly. “He isn’t shy, believe me,” retorted Miss Cornelia. “Absent-minded,—yes—but shy, no. And for all he is so abstracted and dreamy he has a very good opinion of himself, man-like, and when he is really awake he wouldn’t think it much of a chore to ask any woman to have him. No, the trouble is, he’s deluding himself into believing that his heart is buried, while all the time it’s beating away inside of him just like anybody else’s. He may have a notion of Rosemary West and he may not. If he has, we must make the best of it. She is a sweet girl and a fine housekeeper, and would make a good mother for those poor, neglected children. And,” concluded Miss Cornelia resignedly, “my own grandmother was an Episcopalian.” About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. L. M. Montgomery (2004). Rainbow Valley. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/5343/pg5343-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html.

A DOUBLE VICTORY

Rainbow Valley by L. M. Montgomery, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . MORE GOSSIP CHAPTER XV. MORE GOSSIP On the evening after Mrs. Myra Murray of the over-harbour section had been buried Miss Cornelia and Mary Vance came up to Ingleside. There were several things concerning which Miss Cornelia wished to unburden her soul. The funeral had to be all talked over, of course. Susan and Miss Cornelia thrashed this out between them; Anne took no part or delight in such goulish conversations. She sat a little apart and watched the autumnal flame of dahlias in the garden, and the dreaming, glamorous harbour of the September sunset. Mary Vance sat beside her, knitting meekly. Mary’s heart was down in the Rainbow Valley, whence came sweet, distance-softened sounds of children’s laughter, but her fingers were under Miss Cornelia’s eye. She had to knit so many rounds of her stocking before she might go to the valley. Mary knit and held her tongue, but used her ears. “I never saw a nicer looking corpse,” said Miss Cornelia judicially. “Myra Murray was always a pretty woman—she was a Corey from Lowbridge and the Coreys were noted for their good looks.” “I said to the corpse as I passed it, ‘poor woman. I hope you are as happy as you look.’” sighed Susan. “She had not changed much. That dress she wore was the black satin she got for her daughter’s wedding fourteen years ago. Her Aunt told her then to keep it for her funeral, but Myra laughed and said, ‘I may wear it to my funeral, Aunty, but I will have a good time out of it first.’ And I may say she did. Myra Murray was not a woman to attend her own funeral before she died. Many a time afterwards when I saw her enjoying herself out in company I thought to myself, ‘You are a handsome woman, Myra Murray, and that dress becomes you, but it will likely be your shroud at last.’ And you see my words have come true, Mrs. Marshall Elliott.” Susan sighed again heavily. She was enjoying herself hugely. A funeral was really a delightful subject of conversation. “I always liked to meet Myra,” said Miss Cornelia. “She was always so gay and cheerful—she made you feel better just by her handshake. Myra always made the best of things.” “That is true,” asserted Susan. “Her sister-in-law told me that when the doctor told her at last that he could do nothing for her and she would never rise from that bed again, Myra said quite cheerfully, ‘Well, if that is so, I’m thankful the preserving is all done, and I will not have to face the fall house-cleaning. I always liked house-cleaning in spring,’ she says, ‘but I always hated it in the fall. I will get clear of it this year, thank goodness.’ There are people who would call that levity, Mrs. Marshall Elliott, and I think her sister-in-law was a little ashamed of it. She said perhaps her sickness had made Myra a little light-headed. But I said, ‘No, Mrs. Murray, do not worry over it. It was just Myra’s way of looking at the bright side.’” “Her sister Luella was just the opposite,” said Miss Cornelia. “There was no bright side for Luella—there was just black and shades of gray. For years she used always to be declaring she was going to die in a week or so. ‘I won’t be here to burden you long,’ she would tell her family with a groan. And if any of them ventured to talk about their little future plans she’d groan also and say, ‘Ah, I won’t be here then.’ When I went to see her I always agreed with her and it made her so mad that she was always quite a lot better for several days afterwards. She has better health now but no more cheerfulness. Myra was so different. She was always doing or saying something to make some one feel good. Perhaps the men they married had something to do with it. Luella’s man was a Tartar, believe me, while Jim Murray was decent, as men go. He looked heart-broken to-day. It isn’t often I feel sorry for a man at his wife’s funeral, but I did feel for Jim Murray.” “No wonder he looked sad. He will not get a wife like Myra again in a hurry,” said Susan. “Maybe he will not try, since his children are all grown up and Mirabel is able to keep house. But there is no predicting what a widower may or may not do and I, for one, will not try.” “We’ll miss Myra terrible in church,” said Miss Cornelia. “She was such a worker. Nothing ever stumped her. If she couldn’t get over a difficulty she’d get around it, and if she couldn’t get around it she’d pretend it wasn’t there—and generally it wasn’t. ‘I’ll keep a stiff upper lip to my journey’s end,’ said she to me once. Well, she has ended her journey.” “Do you think so?” asked Anne suddenly, coming back from dreamland. “I can’t picture her journey as being ended. Can you think of her sitting down and folding her hands—that eager, asking spirit of hers, with its fine adventurous outlook? No, I think in death she just opened a gate and went through—on—on—to new, shining adventures.” “Maybe—maybe,” assented Miss Cornelia. “Do you know, Anne dearie, I never was much taken with this everlasting rest doctrine myself—though I hope it isn’t heresy to say so. I want to bustle round in heaven the same as here. And I hope there’ll be a celestial substitute for pies and doughnuts—something that has to be MADE. Of course, one does get awful tired at times—and the older you are the tireder you get. But the very tiredest could get rested in something short of eternity, you’d think—except, perhaps, a lazy man.” “When I meet Myra Murray again,” said Anne, “I want to see her coming towards me, brisk and laughing, just as she always did here.” “Oh, Mrs. Dr. dear,” said Susan, in a shocked tone, “you surely do not think that Myra will be laughing in the world to come?” “Why not, Susan? Do you think we will be crying there?” “No, no, Mrs. Dr. dear, do not misunderstand me. I do not think we shall be either crying or laughing.” “What then?” “Well,” said Susan, driven to it, “it is my opinion, Mrs. Dr. dear, that we shall just look solemn and holy.” “And do you really think, Susan,” said Anne, looking solemn enough, “that either Myra Murray or I could look solemn and holy all the time—all the time, Susan?” “Well,” admitted Susan reluctantly, “I might go so far as to say that you both would have to smile now and again, but I can never admit that there will be laughing in heaven. The idea seems really irreverent, Mrs. Dr. dear.” “Well, to come back to earth,” said Miss Cornelia, “who can we get to take Myra’s class in Sunday School? Julia Clow has been teaching it since Myra took ill, but she’s going to town for the winter and we’ll have to get somebody else.” “I heard that Mrs. Laurie Jamieson wanted it,” said Anne. “The Jamiesons have come to church very regularly since they moved to the Glen from Lowbridge.” “New brooms!” said Miss Cornelia dubiously. “Wait till they’ve gone regularly for a year.” “You cannot depend on Mrs. Jamieson a bit, Mrs. Dr. dear,” said Susan solemnly. “She died once and when they were measuring her for her coffin, after laying her out just beautiful, did she not go and come back to life! Now, Mrs. Dr. dear, you know you cannot depend on a woman like that.” “She might turn Methodist at any moment,” said Miss Cornelia. “They tell me they went to the Methodist Church at Lowbridge quite as often as to the Presbyterian. I haven’t caught them at it here yet, but I would not approve of taking Mrs. Jamieson into the Sunday School. Yet we must not offend them. We are losing too many people, by death or bad temper. Mrs. Alec Davis has left the church, no one knows why. She told the managers that she would never pay another cent to Mr. Meredith’s salary. Of course, most people say that the children offended her, but somehow I don’t think so. I tried to pump Faith, but all I could get out of her was that Mrs. Davis had come, seemingly in high good humour, to see her father, and had left in an awful rage, calling them all ‘varmints!’” “Varmints, indeed!” said Susan furiously. “Does Mrs. Alec Davis forget that her uncle on her mother’s side was suspected of poisoning his wife? Not that it was ever proved, Mrs. Dr. dear, and it does not do to believe all you hear. But if I had an uncle whose wife died without any satisfactory reason, I would not go about the country calling innocent children varmints.” “The point is,” said Miss Cornelia, “that Mrs. Davis paid a large subscription, and how its loss is going to be made up is a problem. And if she turns the other Douglases against Mr. Meredith, as she will certainly try to do, he will just have to go.” “I do not think Mrs. Alec Davis is very well liked by the rest of the clan,” said Susan. “It is not likely she will be able to influence them.” “But those Douglases all hang together so. If you touch one, you touch all. We can’t do without them, so much is certain. They pay half the salary. They are not mean, whatever else may be said of them. Norman Douglas used to give a hundred a year long ago before he left.” “What did he leave for?” asked Anne. “He declared a member of the session cheated him in a cow deal. He hasn’t come to church for twenty years. His wife used to come regular while she was alive, poor thing, but he never would let her pay anything, except one red cent every Sunday. She felt dreadfully humiliated. I don’t know that he was any too good a husband to her, though she was never heard to complain. But she always had a cowed look. Norman Douglas didn’t get the woman he wanted thirty years ago and the Douglases never liked to put up with second best.” “Who was the woman he did want.” “Ellen West. They weren’t engaged exactly, I believe, but they went about together for two years. And then they just broke off—nobody ever knew why. Just some silly quarrel, I suppose. And Norman went and married Hester Reese before his temper had time to cool—married her just to spite Ellen, I haven’t a doubt. So like a man! Hester was a nice little thing, but she never had much spirit and he broke what little she had. She was too meek for Norman. He needed a woman who could stand up to him. Ellen would have kept him in fine order and he would have liked her all the better for it. He despised Hester, that is the truth, just because she always gave in to him. I used to hear him say many a time, long ago when he was a young fellow ‘Give me a spunky woman—spunk for me every time.’ And then he went and married a girl who couldn’t say boo to a goose—man-like. That family of Reeses were just vegetables. They went through the motions of living, but they didn’t live.” “Russell Reese used his first wife’s wedding-ring to marry his second,” said Susan reminiscently. “That was too economical in my opinion, Mrs. Dr. dear. And his brother John has his own tombstone put up in the over-harbour graveyard, with everything on it but the date of death, and he goes and looks at it every Sunday. Most folks would not consider that much fun, but it is plain he does. People do have such different ideas of enjoyment. As for Norman Douglas, he is a perfect heathen. When the last minister asked him why he never went to church he said ‘Too many ugly women there, parson—too many ugly women!’ I should like to go to such a man, Mrs. Dr. dear, and say to him solemnly, ‘There is a hell!’” “Oh, Norman doesn’t believe there is such a place,” said Miss Cornelia. “I hope he’ll find out his mistake when he comes to die. There, Mary, you’ve knit your three inches and you can go and play with the children for half an hour.” Mary needed no second bidding. She flew to Rainbow Valley with a heart as light as her heels, and in the course of conversation told Faith Meredith all about Mrs. Alec Davis. “And Mrs. Elliott says that she’ll turn all the Douglases against your father and then he’ll have to leave the Glen because his salary won’t be paid,” concluded Mary. “I don’t know what is to be done, honest to goodness. If only old Norman Douglas would come back to church and pay, it wouldn’t be so bad. But he won’t—and the Douglases will leave—and you all will have to go.” Faith carried a heavy heart to bed with her that night. The thought of leaving the Glen was unbearable. Nowhere else in the world were there such chums as the Blythes. Her little heart had been wrung when they had left Maywater—she had shed many bitter tears when she parted with Maywater chums and the old manse there where her mother had lived and died. She could not contemplate calmly the thought of such another and harder wrench. She couldn’t leave Glen St. Mary and dear Rainbow Valley and that delicious graveyard. “It’s awful to be minister’s family,” groaned Faith into her pillow. “Just as soon as you get fond of a place you are torn up by the roots. I’ll never, never, never marry a minister, no matter how nice he is.” Faith sat up in bed and looked out of the little vine-hung window. The night was very still, the silence broken only by Una’s soft breathing. Faith felt terribly alone in the world. She could see Glen St. Mary lying under the starry blue meadows of the autumn night. Over the valley a light shone from the girls’ room at Ingleside, and another from Walter’s room. Faith wondered if poor Walter had toothache again. Then she sighed, with a little passing sigh of envy of Nan and Di. They had a mother and a settled home—they were not at the mercy of people who got angry without any reason and called you a varmint. Away beyond the Glen, amid fields that were very quiet with sleep, another light was burning. Faith knew it shone in the house where Norman Douglas lived. He was reputed to sit up all hours of the night reading. Mary had said if he could only be induced to return to the church all would be well. And why not? Faith looked at a big, low star hanging over the tall, pointed spruce at the gate of the Methodist Church and had an inspiration. She knew what ought to be done and she, Faith Meredith, would do it. She would make everything right. With a sigh of satisfaction, she turned from the lonely, dark world and cuddled down beside Una. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. L. M. Montgomery (2004). Rainbow Valley. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/5343/pg5343-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html.

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