Alaska sentinel., 1908-03-26
He was evidently a persisten,

| but llEee The tlIDe DeIOIe lndt, anu before that-l don't know how many l Really" She looked up in ernbar rassment.
 Would you be so awfully good hs was saying, ''as to give me a glass oi waterf"
 Mary's heart snote her. Of course pride forbade any more knives. But he did look tired. Perhaps he WAS hungry. Perhaps the knife selling bust ness was not fourishlng just now. He seemed 10 have great many left.
 Wont you sit down?' she faltered hating her own weakness, yet gloryins in it like a true woman.
 'He Is a peddler. A peddler!" she whispered to herself. Her cheeks were glowing with her inward srourging of herself for her lack of pride. as she brought out loaf of bread and cut 1t I'll just talk to him this once, and | that's all." she retorted to herself, spreading butter with quick, neryou. fingers
 Wont your mistress be angry If she finds this outT
 "She can hardly object" Mary be. gan, then catching a quick glance iron him, she bethought herself. 'The mis. sus always wants I should feed anyone who Is hungry-and deserving"
 Mary stood with her back toward him, at the window She was busy fill. ing the salt jars. She was determined that she WAS too busy to talk. But the peddler did not seem to mind. He talked cheerfully at her. He told little tales of the road, bits of real life hs had seen. The humor and pathos Of every day as 1t had unrolled itself be fore him look artistic shape in his vivid narrative. Before she knew It Mary was interested. She was answering | piecing out his experiences with hei own. Suddenly she realized what she was doing. She crossed the room to leave.
 You are not going% There was real dismay in his voice.
 'I ought not to talk to you"
 "Why not?"
 Mary could not answer that he was only peddler. So she was silent
 See here, perhaps I guess what you mean" he cried after a moment of si. lenoe between them. "As for your work, that is all right I believe in work It is honorable All kinds What do I know of you? Nothing. There fore we can judge one another plainly
 All my life have beat against | these iron bars Of conventional judg. ments, Set and established and imposed upon us by others. The way for one human being to know another Is to meet as you and I have done-name. less, with no pointers and sign posts to show us who we are and what to l think of each other.
 If you think II matters to me-that would pay you less tribute because find you earning honorably the mon ey you spend-"
 He stopped. She was looking at him with a totally new expression. Cur osity and some terror were mingled.
 Do you know I think you are aD extraordinary peddler?' she said.
 He blushed deep red.
 ''I beg your pardon" be answered. T have after all been wrong. In my desire to cast of conventions I have perhaps gone too far in leaving out the simple truth. There Is my card | shall ask my sister to call upon you and to introduce us to each other-if you will let me:'
 Mary could not answer for 8 moment Then, hesitatingly, she said:
 This seems to be a time for comics sions, and 1t Is my turn. I was not SC brave as you-and was not so true would not listen-not because I wa. working as a maid-but because you were only a-peddler."
 Do you know" he said to her. as he stood at the doorway to go, ''I think you are an extraordinary cook?"
 She picked up his card which was lying where he had tossed 1t upon the kitchen table.
 Your sister was a classmate oi mine at Wellsville. She knows just how extraordinary a cook I am"
 AS he went down the stairs a half hour later, Phil Wexham, professor in sociology and experimental peddler of knives. asked himself one question. To this day he has not succeeded in get, ting the answer:
 Did Mary See the name on that card before she made her confession or did she not ?"-Chicago Tribune