The Grit-advocate., 1900-12-21
Koen's TCnneI.
BY PRINCE T. WoopA

r1s rsin had poured In torrents oil
day buAGRy and that night ths resi-
ooatD Al Co6arville were lnlle6 to
sie0 BY the mover ceaSing pattsr, pat
tar and GRIP. drip Of the storm. Non
~ morning. the wind veersd suddenly
into the north and blew = fins. light
NOV into the faces Of the Children
Who were hurrying to the district
school on ihe mountain road. By
noon the snow was falling 70 thick
aAd fast tina. q big bob-slsd WAS sent
up from The railroad for all the able
bodied men who could work - Keep
he cracks open
There were only two young men in
the village who had work enough
OF their own to keep them at homo.
Sherman Keens, the village s1ack-
smith. and DR.. Abner Coulson. Not
that DR.. Coulson was particularly
busy. he Aad only made his appear
ance In Cadarvills q few months ~
fore. but he could hardly bs expected
to participate In snow -shoveling
bee.
The wind rose steadily all the After
noon and the storm settled down into
genuine blizzard. Long before dark
it was apparent that the men who had
gone to help clear the railroad coalA
not return that night Keene closed
the smithy early and made things
snug at home for the comfort of his
widowed mother and himself. Then
he made his way with dihieuly
through the storm to some of the
netghborS. whose men-folks had gone
with the bob-sled party, and helped
them with the evening chores. On his
Wv home he looked In at the widow
Aerse, Who had come to the door to
grest him. and had seen that she was
provided with plenty of wood and wa
eer against wild. stormy night He
would not have stopped had Nannstte
pseo at home but she had not yet re-
turned from the school on the noun
tain road. where she guided the youth
fu minds Of Cedarville through the
tangled paths Of "readin'. writin' and
'rithmAtic."
That night, while the storm howled
hsres1 Without Sherman Keens sat
In his comfortable armchair and oozsd
oetors Q great fire Of blazing logs ON
tAe hearth in his sitting room Widow
keens had long since sought her bed.
AeaoS dreamed Of Nannstte, and In
mn Dream she was always In danger,
whAa, he could not make quite clear;
but there was some danger-somethlng
WFoas with Nannette. The dream was
no& persistent. 1t would not leave
him.
NGnnette and Keene had grown up
together In Cedarville. They had been
lovsrs. according to village gossip
since they played together as children
IN the sandheaps in Mother Morss'U
gnrden- Since DR.. Coulson came to
town there had been a growing cold
neas between the two The doctor
had been very attentive to Nanetts
sherman Keene resented this and had
Omonstratsd with Nannette, but the
little school teacher had taken offsnss
and In words more hasty than wise
had sent Keens about his business, re-
minding him that she was still mis-
deas OF her own actions. Keene had
avoided her since that time and she,
perhaps to show that she did not care,
had encouraged the attentions of the
gallant doctor. At all events, it was
With DR.. Coulson as escort that she At
tendsd many Of the socials and enter
tainments that winter. Keens loved
Nannette with all the deep feeling Of
IL sturdy manly nature. but he felt
that she had been In the wrong IN
the1 quarrel and feared taunting