The daily Alaskan., 1912-09-03
WHAT AILS
 NANCYp
By N. QUAD
Copyright. isi7. by Associated Li,- ,erery Press vi

lotte. She was thirty years old when her parents died, and then she and her brother Ben kept house together for seven or eight years Then he died. and Nancy was left alone ln the world. eaI
 Miss Lee could have rented or sold her cottage and boarded. but sue elect cd 10 be independent by continuing to occupy the place It was peaceful village. with nothing to make her sfraid. and for several years things went on without 2 break Then, all of sudden. an aunt in town thirty miles away was brought to her dying bed and sent for Nancy. The sPinster was absent two weeks She smoothed the pillow of the dying woman and brought home a feather bed and half barrel of pickles. No one noticed any thing strange about her until she had been home about a week She fed her heus md swept her house as usual.
 The first one to discover that Miss Nancy Lee was In trouble was Deacon Haskins lie called at the house one evening to borrow a rat trap. and he noticed that she was very nervous She kept shruggine her shoulders and hitching about, and now and then her, mouth would give twitch at the cor. ners, He solititously inquired lt she had stepped on carpet mCk. and she replied in the negative. and he went home to say to his wife: us
 Prudence. Nancy Lee Is acting very queer tonight"
 Good laudsr'
 "Hitchcd around all the time | was Tn the house"
 ''You don't sayw
 Acted as IT she wanted to back ID to tree and rub"
 "Deacou Hasklns, i'n run right overt Mebbe she's been taken with spell"
 "Oh. cucss lt don't amount to any. thing. Been eating green apple Ike as not IT she gets wuss SheTl holler Co ms from the kitchen wluder."
 The deacon's wife didn't 20 over, hut early next morning Mrs Partridge sent her son Willie over Co borrow three eggs for breakfast He got them. and he returned home with his eyes stick. ing out to exClaim:
 "Ma, Miss Lee was crying when | went inw
 "1s it poSsibleY''
 Yes: caught her at it."
 Was she just crying or hoohooiugT
 She was crying and rubbing her back agin the edge of a door"
 Heaven save usl can understand that she might be crying over so many deaths in the family, but what on earth was she rubbing her back fcrT
 Tt itched probably" replied her hus. band
 Tt probably didn't do anything of the sort. There's a mystery here, and I'm going to try to get to the bottom of it"
 After breakfast Mrs. Partridge made an excuse to drop in and see for her. self. The spinstcr's eyes showed that she had been weeping She also be gan to hitch about
 "You are like a COW in tiytime. Nan cy. I've known you for fifteen years, and if you are in trouble want to help you out"
 But I'm not in trouble. One feels lonely once in awhile, and then the tears come"
 Yes: know how it Is, and I'm glad it's no worse for you. Run into my house any time. You know you're al- ways welcome"
 Miss Lee had denied things, but she hadn't fooled Mrs. Partridge a little bit The caller left the house ostensi- bly, for home. but slipped into the house of Mrs Goodhue and greeted her with:
 Ruth Goodhue. there's something going on in this town"
 "Anybody's clotheSline been robbedF
 No. but Nancy Lee is crying and hitching around and rubbing her back on the edges of doors"
 But what ailS herr
 That's to be found out. That's the mystery. She says it haln't nothing tall. but of course we know better We must make her tell"
 "Yes. she's got to-"
 The two women started out and call. ed on nine or ten other women, and before night Nancy Lee was the talk of the village. She had been crying and hitching and rubbing and yet had refused to explain. The good wife Of Deacon HaskIns had dropped in to borrow a nutmeg and then bad made opportunity to say:
 Nancy, your mother and me used to play together as children, Why don't you tell me what ails your
 "I-cau't-tellF' was walled out
 Nancy Lee. are you In love7" was sternly asked. "No~
 Have you been Jlltedy' "No."
 ! The deacon's wife stuck and hung, but the mystery was not to be solved not that day. It was three days later when twenty-seven women, headed ey the minister's wife. called and put the | spinster through the third degree