The daily Alaskan., 1906-01-17
AN AUTUMN EPISODE
TOrigInaL ]


 summer outings are usually anything but restful. I went to the Bucklng- ham inn, located in a lovely country dotted here and there wi@ handsome summer cottages. 1 did not arrive till October was half spent and the regu' lar summer boarders had gone back to town and were doubtless hard at work ariln. Morning and evening there were blazing logs in the great fireplace in the main hail. where the hotel office wus located, but during the middle of the day artificial beat was unneces- sary.
 was very indolent. l sat most of the day at the window in this office room looking out on the white hard road over which occasionally bowleu A carriage. Beyond the road were woods looking for all the world as if paInter had dabbed them with different colors. Above the woods was the blue sky. say the blue sky because dur, ing my stay it was seldom hidden by clouds. In a leather covered easy chaii I sat and looked at the road, the car riages, the varlegated wood and the blue sky.
 One day a carriage passed in which sat an old gentleman and young girl. The girls was one of those serious faces that are seldom seen in young people-the face of one who endures or has endured some great grief. The eyes were large, and in them one might see In connection with other fea- lures of the face marvellous depth of feeling, an unusual strength of char acter. I can best describe her by con- pairing her with one who lives under a physical blight, such as being deaf and dumb or blind. However the carriage quickly passed, and these impressions which I have given at length were but momentary.
 The next day at the same hour about 8 o'clock in the afternoon-the same carriage with the same occupants drove by again. This time revelation was given me. The girl and the old gentleman were speaking the sign Ian guage for deaf mutes with their fingers. 1 was surprised at how hard hit l was by the discovery. had felt sure some physical blight was on the poor girl, but hoped that it might be something less than this-a lamGneSS, a withered arm. But not to hear tue sound of voices, to be deprived of all sweet sounds, especially those conveying sympathy-it Is terrible.
 After that used to take my seat at the window every day shortly before 3 o'clock, and the carriage with the old gentleman and my sad faced deaf mute usually went by. l asked the clerk of | the hotel if he knew who they were. He gave me a name and said they drove every day to the house of rela- | tive-an old woman. This is all the information he could give me. As the season progressed and 1t grew colder the driving became less frequent and before the 1st of November ceased.
 One day, buttoning a light Overcoat about me, l went out for a walk. kept the road for awhile, then struck l into the woods. The summer was long dying. Usually at the time in that To- cality there Is nothing green left ex' l cept the cedars and some vines. Now the naples were yellow and red, the oaks were a faded green, the chestnuts were withered, but the leaves still | hung to the trees. The ground was l strewn with acorns, hickory nuts and | chestnut burs. Most of the burs had been opened, but by hunting about | pushing the dead leaves aside, I would occasionally come upon fat nut On | coming to, an opening l looked out on | an expansive view lying below. The trees through which l gazed, their vel, low leaves gllded by tine afternoon sun, were a fitting frame for the pic ture. The landscape itself was bathed in the same autumn light and was screened by a thin mist-a garment | finer than the finest lace that nature puts on when about to retire for her winter nap.
 Vaultng a stone wall, 1 descended a slope, kicking the leayes-as I love to do-making my way toward a rustic bridge, but seeing traces of nuts under some trees I was passing l yielded to a childish propensity to gather a few. I was busy at this when heard voices behind me and, turning, saw my girl of the carriage with several children. She was looking at me with those eX- pressive eyes as much as to ask, What are you doing here" I realized that was in private grounds and wished to apologize, but alas, l did not know the sign language.
 Are you finding any nutsT
 The words came ike an angels voice out of the sky. Could 1t be possible that they had been spoken by my deaf mute? I was too surprised, too de- lighted, to take any notice of what had been said to me, though my hat came off instinctlyely.
 "Can 1t be possible that am tres passingT' l said at last.
 ''These are private grounds, but you are quite welcome In summer, when the country is full of people, we put up a siRD hut now it's a little lonely here,