The daily Alaskan., 1919-03-27
eoND3Hf ME:TIrt!TaTr7S livaio NafHi

 titude of my play fellows. They de nied me the confidence and intimacy which I had enjoyed before. They whispered together in my presence. In all this had not failed to observe that Henry Wills had taken leading part. The invisible, inaudible, mysterious thing wrought a great change in me. It followed me through the day and lay down with me at night. l wondered what had done. 1 carefully surveyed my clothes. They looked all right to me. My character was certainly no worse than it had been. How it preyed upon my peace and rest and happiness that mysterious hidden thing
 One day Uncle Peabody came down tc see me and I walked through the village with him. We met Mir. Dunkel- berg, who merely nodded and hurried along. Mir Bridges, the merchant, did not greet him warmly and chat with him as he had been wont to do. l saw that The Thing-as I had come to think of it-was following him also. How It darkened his face! Even now l can feel the aching of the deep, bloodless wounds of that day. l could bear 1t better alone. We were trying to hide our pain from each other when we said goOd-by. How quickly my uncle turned away and walked toward the ShedSl He came rarely to the vil- lage of Canton after that.
 May had returned-a warm bright May. I had entered my seventeenth year and the work of the term was finished.
 Having nothing to do one afternoon, I walked out on the road toward Og- dersburg for a look at the woods and fields. Soon I thought that l heard the sound of galloping hoofS behind me. I looked back and l saw Sally round- ing the turn by the river and coming toward me at full speed, the mane Of her pony flying back to her face. She pulled up beside me just as l had imagined she would do. Bart, hate somebody terribly" said she.
 "Whom?"
 "A man who Is coming to our house on the stage today. Granny Barnes Is tiying to get up a match between us' Father says he is rich and hopes he will want 10 marry me. l got mad ohorf if He is four years older than lam. Isn't that awful? I am going to be just as mean and hateful to him as I can.'
 "I guess they're only fooling you," said.
 "No. they mean it. have heard them talking 1t over.
 "He cannot marry you"
 "Why?"
 It seemed to me that the time had come for me to speak out, and with burning cheeks I suid:
 "Because I think that God has mar ried you to me already. Do you re- member when we kissed each other by the wheat field one day last sum- mer?
 "Yes."
 We had faced about and were walk ing back toward Canton, I close by the pony's side.
 "May kiss you agalnT
 She stopped the pony and leaned toward me a1d our lips met in kiss the thought of which makes me lay down my pen and bow my head mo- ment while l think with reverence of that pure. sweet spring of memory in whose waters I love to wash my spirit.
 'I guess God has married us again" I declared.
 'T knew that you were walking on this road and l had to see you," said she. People have been saying such terrible things"
 'sWhat?"
 "They say your uncle found the pocketbook that was lost and kept the money. They say be was the first man that went up the road after it was lost"
 "Its a Ie-my uncle never saw the pocketboOk. Some money was left to him by relative in Vermont. That's how 1t happened that he bought farm instead of going to the poorhouse when Grimshaw put the screws to him."
 q knew that your uncle didn't do it." she went On. Father and mother couldn't tell you. So had to-"
 "Why couldn't your father and moth CT tell mel"
 ''They didn't dare. Mir. Grimshaw made them promise that they would ! not speak to you or to any of your family. I heard them say that you and your uncle did right. Father told mother that he never knew a man so honest as your Uncle Peabody"
 Just then we came upon the Silent Woman sitting among the dandeHons by the roadside. She held cup in her hand with some honey on Its bot tom and covered with piece of glass.
 'She is hunting bees" I said as we