Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-11-07

put her at ease. He seemed to take no notice of her shortcomings.
 He talked of the woods and the
 weather and the scenery, and she found herself talking to him. It was so with the mother when she came. She was hard featured and distrustful, but the strangers courteous words and his pleasant smiles caused her to look with favor upon him. With the husband and father it took longer. He was not moonshiner, but there were stills in the dark ravines belong ing to others, and he was on his guard against strangers for the sake of his friends. He could have led a revenue officer to four different stills within a radius of five miles, but he would have died before pointing his finger in the direction of one. So he would take the stranger In, but he would also watch him. The man should not move twenty rods in any direction without being followed and spied on. If he had come for the revenue service then one more dead man should be left in the forest to be covered by the leaves in ths fall.
 | The coming of Williams was an event to all, but to Nancy it was more than that. An inherent something combed and braided her hair next morning. It put shoes and stockings on her feet. It washed her face with soap and water and it cleaned her finger nails and caused her mother to look at her in surprise. The barefoot ed way was good enough for the smoke and talk and borrow cornmeal, but 1t was not good enough for gen. tleman from the lowlands.
 The stranger fell readily into the ways of the people. His bed was rude and his fare rough, but he was satis- fled. Grim men and lanky boys came to stare at him and ask him brusque questions, but he laughed as he an- swered them and finally won their confidence. He talked to them of many wonderful inventions; he told them stories of sea and land; he gave them pointers on the habits of the birds and animals they had lived among all their lives and were yet ignorant of. He was ready to an swer all questions and arbitrate all disputes, and they had to bow to his wisdom. For a couple of weeks he was followed as he moved about. Then 1t was agreed that he had not come as spy. With his sporting shotgun he brought down squirrels, rabbits and birds, and after carrying them home he set to work as a taxi dermiSt and stuffed and mounted them in such lifelike manner that the peo- pie of the mountains came five miles to see and to praise.
 And after the first two weeks Nan cy often accompanied him in his ram- bles. Sometimes the father went along as well. The girl could shoot. and she brought down many a speci- men. She brought flowers and re- membered the names he gave them. She found the holes of woodchucks Rnd rabbits ard weasels and listened closely while he told of the habits of such animals Williams was in no hurry. He nad come to pass the sum- mer on the mountain. He roamed and he rested. He visited other cabins and made friends of all he came in contact with. AS they found him one day, so they found him the next. There were those who could not un- derstand why he should interesf aim self in such a s.iisuit-why any one should particularly care about birds and squirrels and flowers-but tfey liked and trusted the man for all that. It came at last that even the owners of some of the hidden stills talked of inviting him to visit them.
 For three long months Nancy lived in new world. There had been phys ical and mental changes for the bet ter. Unknown to even her mother, she tried to teach herself to read. Shoes and stockings were precious dLbohS Alit pCOllC oi thS tain, but never since that first day had Williams seen her barefooted She had made herself q new sunbonnet. She had sewed a flounce on her best dress. She had made a bow to wear at her throat. She had cleared her hair of tangles and felt wave of pride sweep over her as she caught the young man looking at it admir- ingly. She slyly watched him as he ate. and she tried to copy him. He had seen these things and a hundred others. and they had made him smile. He had treated her in a way as an equal and in q way as a child. He had been friendly, but he had never talked love. He had told her of TO- nance and adventure. of the great world to which she was a stranger. but not with any intent to make her dissatisfied with her surroundings.
 Had he been d bit more observing he would have seen the growth of new sentiments and aspirations that she lacked the womanly ingenuity to con