The daily Alaskan., 1919-03-13
ccsruou NSE1sQsJNSTHS Rauso sESau@


 silently buttDning my coat, with tears rolling down her cheeks while I leaned back upon the. gate In front of the Racket house, on fishery lane, try Ing to act like a man and rather ashamed of my poor. success. Uncle Peabody stood surveying the sky in silence with his back toward us. He turned and nervously blew out his breath. His lips trembled little as he said:
 q dunno but what it's goin' to rain."
 I watched them as they walked to the tavern sheds, both looking down at the ground and going rather un- steadily. Oh, the look of that beloved pair as they walked away from me !- the look of their leaning heads! Their silence and the sound of their foot steps are, somehow, part of the pie ture which has hung all these years in my memory.
 Sally Dunkelberg and her mother came along and said that they were glad I had come to school. could not talk to them, and seeing my trouble they went on, Sally waving her hand to me as they turned the corner below. felt ashamed of myself. Suddenly l heard the door open behind me and the voice of Mir. Racket:
 Bart" he called, Eve a friend here who has something to say to you. Come in."
 l turned and went into the house.
 Away with Sadness-laddle buck !" he exclaimed as he took his violin from its case while I sat wiping my eyes. Away with sadnessl She often raps at my door, and while try not to be rude, always pretend to be very busy. Just light word O recognition by way O common politeness! Then laugh, If ye can an do it quickly, lad, an she will pass on."
 The last words were spoken in a whisper with one hand on my breast.
 He turned the strings and played the ''Fisher'S Hornpipe." What rOmp of merry music filled the hOusel I had never heard the like and was soon smiling at him as he played. His bow and fingers flew In the wild frOlic of the Devils Dream" It led me out of my sadness into world all new to me.
 "NOw, God bless your soul, boyl" he exclaimed, by and by, as he put down his instrument. "We shall have good time together-that we will. Not a stroke O work this dayl Come, have a guide here that will take us down to the land O the fairies"
 Then with his microscope he showed me into the wonder world of littleness of which had no knowledge.
 "The microscope is like the art O the teacher" he said. i've known a good teacher to take brain no bigger than fiy's foot an make 1t visible to the naked eye"
 One of the children. of which there were four in the Racket home, called us to supper. Mrs. Racket, stout woman with red and kindly face, sat at one end of the table, and between them were the children-Mary, a pret- ty daughter of seventeen years; Mag gle, a siI-year-old; Ruth, delicate girl of seven, and John, a noisy, red faced boy of five. The chairs were of plain woOd-like the kitchen chairs of today. In the middle of the table was an empty One-painted green. Before he sat down Mir. Racket put his hand on the back of this chair and said:
 "A merry heart to you, Michael Henry"
 I wondered at the meaning of this, but dared not to ask. The oldest daughter acted as kind of moderator with the others.
 Mary Is the constable of this house, with power to arrest and hale into court for undue haste or rebellion or impolitpneSs," Mir. Racket explained.
 'T believe that Sally Dunkelberg IS your friend" he said to me presently.
 "Yes, sir" I answered.
 "A fine slip of girl that and born scholar. saw you look at her as the Persian looks at the rising sum-"
 blushed and Mary and her mother and the boy John looked at me and laughed.
 "Puer pulcherrime" Mir. Racket exclaimed with a kindly smile.
 Uncle Peabody would have called it "stout Snag." The sChOOlmaster had hauled it out of his brain very deftly and chucked 1t down before me in 8 kind of challenge.
 ~"What does that meanp I asked.
 You shall know in a week, my son." he answered. "I shall put you Into the Latin class Wednesday morning, and God help you to like 1t as we'll as you like Sally"
 Again they laughed and again l blushed.
 Hold up yer head, my brave lad" he went on. We've a perfect right to like Sally If ye've heart to.
 "A lad in his teens
 Will never know beans
 If he hasn't an eye for the girls"
 It was a merry supper, and when 1t ended Mir. Racket rose and took the ryroar obofn f.or, kha Enhla -avnlo I'm