The daily Alaskan., 1913-12-01
1t Sounded
 Like Thunder By F. A. MTTCFIEL
By F. A. MTTCHEL

head over heels in love with her at once. There was some attempt at fan cy costume among the girls, and Lillie was dressed like an Indian girl, her long black hair hanging below her waist. knew scarcely any one there and stood watching a set of dancers who were doing quadriIle or some other of those old fashioned square dances. Lillie was bobblng about, feel ing happy in the consciousness Of look ing very pretty and showing her long locks and all the while she was firing quick shots at me with her black eyes,
 After the dance l hunted for some one to introduce me to Lille and was successful. The girl had known I was watching her in the dance, and every one of her antics was for me I wasn't a dancing man and persuaded her to sit out dance with me. Then nice looking, dapDer young fellow took her for another dance, and l looked on again. This time her antics were for me all the same. but they were of an- other kind She flashed her eyes alter natply at mp and into those of the fel- low she danced with. I was too stupid to see through this feminine device then, and it had its effect Quite likely 1t would have worked just as well with me if 1 had seen through it When girl wishes to attract and n fellow wishes to be attracted it's the easiest job in the world
 It wasn't tong before l was going to see Lille She wus an orphan and lived with her grandmother, an old Iadv deaf qs a trolley car conductor whose ear is iammed full of strap hangers. She was half blind too. But she must have heard by contact with substances if she didn't hear through the air. and, as for seeing. the darker it was the better chance she had or distiuguishing objects. She was like other deaf and blind persons in that | respect. She couldn't see or hear what she should see and hear, but had re- mausable facilities for detecting what was most iucOuvenient for others for her to know.
 About the tune 1 made Lilies ac. Uuainlancp her grandmother was talk en with her IuSt illness. Lille loved the old lady. and her approaching demise was an allliction to the niece. As for me. was but twenty-one years old and had years before. mo in which to do courtng. but so impatient was ] that I grudgcd the old lady what little time she needed from Lille. l feared [ would be too old for matrimouy be- fore the invalid got into her grave and ceased to require attention
 Now thut look back on this period 1 can see that | was very unreasonable. would go to the house and wait a whole evening for Lille while she re- mained upstairs with her grandmother, hoping every minute that she could come downstairs for a brief sitting with me. One evening when | had | waited a couple of hours in this way concluded, considering that the old wO. man was blind and deaf and her ina perfect senses must be further dead. ened by illness. to go upstairs to the sickroom. steal in and see if l couldn't get a word with Lille.
 tiptoed up the staircase and to the door of the room. which fortunately l found aiar. Lillie was sitting in a chair where she could see me. She came to the door, and l told her that If she couldn't come to me l was bound to 90 to her She went back into the room turned the light very low and beckoncd me to enter. There was a sofa placed where the invalid could not very well see it 1 stole toward it, and LiHe and sat down side by side with our arms around each other
 We whispered more love than today, at fifty, l could talk in year, and to be heard by each other we scarcely needed to whisper, for when l spoke my lips touched her coral ear, and when she spoke her lips were a mil lionth of an inch from mine
 "Who's there| came from the in, valid.
 Lille arose. went tO the bed and 1 asked her grandmother IT SAe N"IiISu anything. She replied that she thought she heard whispering Lillie told her that she must be mistaken, put her hand on the sick wOman's head to soothe her and told her she had better try to get a little sleep.
 Whether grandma was satisfied with this or not she said no more, and LiI- lie, after codiling her awhile, came back to me. had been wishing l could burst the remains of the drum of the old lady's ear with a ramrod i but when Lillie came back felt bet ter However, we didn't think 1t pru- dent to do any more whispering and refrained. l took a pencil from my pocket and some old letters and wrote what had to say very short sen tences, in every one of which the word love" figured consDicuOusly.
 Men, instead of choosing, as is sup posed, appropriate opportunities for proposals, are quite likely to choose l tba most uDGttinU w9S unable 10