The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-01-25
He was evidently 1 per.i,tus

Oue 1uAce luc TINE Oe1Or0 mat ant
before that don't know how many
Really She looked ND in embar
rassment.
Would you be 90 awfully good" b,
was saying, -as to give me a glass q
water2"
Mary's heart smote her. OF cours,
pride forbade any more knives. Bu
he did look tired. Perhaps he wa,
hungry. Perhaps the knife selling busi
ness was not aourishing Just now. n,
seemed to have great many left
Wont you sit DOWN." she faltercd
hating her own weakness yet gloryin,
In 1t like true woman.
HE is a peddler! A peddler!" Nh,
whispered to herself. Her cheeks wer,
glowing with her inward scourxine O,
herself for her lack of pride, as Oh,
brought out loaf Of bread and cut It
I'll just talk to him this once. anl
that's ALL" she retorted to herself
spreading butter with quick, nervou,
fingers
Wont your mistress be angry IL sh1
finds this out?'
"She can hardly object" Mary be
gan, then catching quick glance from
him, she bethought herself. "The mis-
sus always wants 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 thu
peddler did not seem to mind. HI
talked cheerfully at her. He told littl.
tales of the road, bits Of real life h,
had seen. The humor and pathos Of
every day as it had unrolled itself be
fore him took artistic shape in his vivii
narrative. Before she knew it Mary
was interested. She was answering
piecing out his experiences with hel
own. Suddenly she realized what sh<
was doing. She crossed the room t.
leave.
you are not going?" There was real
dismay in his voice.
II ought not to talk to you"
why not?'
Mary could not answer that he was
only peddler. So she was silent.
"See here, perhaps l guess what you
mean" he cried after a moment Of ST.
lence between them. "As for your
work, that is all right v 1 believe In
work. 1t Is honorable. All kinds What
do I know Of you? Nothing! There
fore we can judge one another plainly
"All my life I 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 have done-name-
less, with no pointers and sign posts
to show us who we are and what to
think Of each other.
IF you think 1t matters to me-that
would pay you less tribute because
1 find you earning honorably the mon
ey you spend"
He stopped. She was looking at him
with totally new expression. Curt
osity and some terror were mingled.
do you know 1 think you are an
extraordinary peddler?" she said. !,
He blushed deep red.
II beg your pardon" he answered.
II have after all been wrong. In my
desire to cast of conventions l have
perhaps gone too far in leaving out the
simple truth. There Is my card. I
shall ask my sister to call upon you
and to introduce us to each other-if
you will let met"
Mary could not answer for moment
Then, hesitatingly, she said:
This seems to be time for comics.
sions, and 1t is my turn! was not 50
brave as you-and was not 30 true. /
would not listen-not because I was
working as maid-but because you
were only a-peddler!"
do you know" he said to her, az he
stood at the doorway to 60, II 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 classmate OF
mine at Wellsville. She knows just
how extraordinary cook ! am"
AS he went down the stairs halt
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.
Heredity, Sure Enough!
N~o~~n nopuord 0how the NAV