The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1934-03-16
By Ben Ames Williams

the girl retorted with a smiling grim
ace. She bodied him a curtsey, and
he laughed again and turned away.
But Uncle Frank, as he went on to-
ward school, moved thoughtfully. Half
a dozen years ago Ted and Helen were
in his classes here; they had been
sweethearts then, and they were
s~weethearts now. Yet Bill Magaw could
not be blamed If he had since then
perceived that Helen was come to
womanhood and so cast upon her now
and then an ~appreciative eye. Uncle
Frank had suspected the developing
situation before today, but it was much
more than suspicion now. Helen, he
reflected, must have been in real dis
tress Of mind, In sore need Of a con-
fidant, to speak 20 frankly here a while
ago.
He decided that some one ought to
talk to Ted. And when at noon he went
down to deposit Traf Hoods check at
Ted's wicket in the bank the time
seemed to him opportune.
Ted was a youngster just now In his
middle twenties, not long out Of COL
lege. His father, old Amasa Pring, was
chairman Of the cemetery trustees.
| Uncle Frank endorsed the check-it
was made out to his order-and filled
out a deposit slip and handed the pap
ers to Ted, and he remarked:
IT saw Helen this morning!"
He expected Ted to grin and color
| with a pleased confusion; but Ted only
nodded.
"she's going to Boston today" he
assented CURLY.
"Set the day yet, you two?" Uncle
Frank inquired, and Ted said grimly:
Sometime this winter" He added
| after a moment: IT hope"
II guess Helen hopes so, too" the
older man assured him. 1T was Ted
this and Ted that, this morning till I
had to shoe the girl away!"
But though he stood expectantly Ted
gave him no opening at all. Something,
plainly, was worrying the boy, but to
deal with this worry Uncle Frank must
wait another time.
He assumed that what was worry
ing Ted was Bill Magaw; but when the
first Of October came around he un-
derstood that he had been wrong.
September ended, and so did October
and November. Bill Magaw was elect
ed county attorney, and grass was
PLANTED on Levi Hoods grave, and
Uncle Frank went his accustomed way
I to school and back again, meddling in
matters that we're in nowise his con
Germ.
One noontime-it was Monday and
the second Of December-he walked
down to the bank to get his monthly
statements at the bookkeeper's win
dow. There were two of these state
ments, his own and that which covered
the cemetery's account. He examined
them and then he moved over to speak
to Ted. When Ted looked up at him
the whites of the boys eyes showed a
ring entirely around the iris. They
were family discolored as though he
were short of sleep.
Uncle Frank said directly: "Ted,
come up to dinner tonight. Up to my
house."
Ted demurred. IT don't know whether
I can" he confessed. "Helen and 7 . . "
But Uncle Frank shook his head.
"You tell Helen I asked you," he d.
rected. IF she objects, I'll attend to
that young lady," His tone was good
humored, yet insistent, too. "You come
about half past six, son. Mrs. Luther'1l
make you an apple pie"
He would not be denied: so Ted came,
and Mrs. Luther fed them royalty, and
Uncle Frank talked of many things,
and Ted said scarcely any word at all.
When the apple pie had been eaten
they moved into the sitting room, into
two big chairs before the open fire
which Uncle Frank fed frugally with
small billets of wood, and the older
man lighted one of the rank cigars he
preferred and Ted smoked one cigaret
after another without pause.
The fire was warm, and the bright
flames had a hypnotic effect. The two
men sat at ease, their legs extended,
their feet crossed, their eyes upon the
fire; and Uncle Frank talked in slow
and easy tones. He spoke of mathe-
mates and the magic Of figures and
the cumulative effect of many little
things piled nj upon the other. Ted
listened in%attentively at first, busy with
his own distracted thoughts, but he
began to pay attention by and by. For
Uncle Frank was talking about the
cemetery.
Or rather, he was talking about the
cemetery's funds.
Ted shifted in his chair and lighted
a fresh cigaret, and Uncle Frank wagg-
ed his head. I'VE don't charge MUCH"
he explained. But we make a profit
just the same, and it mounts up. If I
told you how many thousands of dol
lars worth of bonds there is in our
boxes you'd be surprised"
II expect So" said Ted, and wiped
his brow.
"It's the same way with a man."
Uncle Frank reflected, as much to him
self as to Ted. "He starts saving when
he's a boy. Maybe he saves money,
maybe other things. Mavbe he inst