The Nome nugget., 1938-06-22
"DUFFERENCE"
 s By EDYTHT s. DRAPER
0. D. ]. walsh-wNu Service.

were on the gay house. small. quite alone by the sea in the yellow sand
 Blue-gray stones piled in two pyra' mids In the two green rectangles Of lawn were entwined by thousand oranges and yellow and fame-brght nasturtiums. Geraniums. deep-crimson. scarlet, salmon and osepink. stood straight and stiff and splendid in pots along the stone embrasures of the porch.
 The house was painted an incred, ible exquisite pink. Shells. pink and white, set one against the other, out lined the gravel path from the pink gate in the pink fence to the pink house. And the ocean was blue the woman knew though she did not turn her eyes from the house. And the sky was blue. Gay. gay. sky and sea and flower and house. The woman felt little gay lightness in her. She felt able to venture.
 "I will have this house. the woman murmured. "I will go in now and take it. The doctors they are wrong. Six months? No. Forever. in this house.
 She opened the gate. It was low. She could almost have stepped over It. It was toy fence, T toy house. toy flowers all for good child. She was it, that good child. She would. with Much, much money, make the people know that.
 "I will have this house." she said again firmly.
 Who could be living here?
 Far from boarding house and hotel and palace cottage?
 In such rash gayety? Did they not know that the gods are jealous of the very happy? People very young and brave, beike. these were loving color and breeze. and each other.
 She had used to come to this piece of sand Yes. away up here. With Angus. Angus.
 When in years now had she thought of Angus? Angus the sailor? He was dead perhaps in some far city. low in some still green sea. But, no. Too stub' born Angus to die. Old stubborn Angus Old Scotch, stubborn Angus. "YOu can't talk English" she had scoffed, "Duf- ference! Can't you say differenceT "Hey!" he had roared. 'I don't see any difference between difference ard dufference!" "very well, then. Mir Angus Good-by."
 She had laughed and gone.
 She knocked.
 Anybody in the house wanting to analyze the sound of those white knuckles on the tiny door would have said 1t was the knocking of some wom. an getting in always where she want ed to get in. having always what she wanted when she got in but yet not often glad.
 Perhaps one in this house was dis cussing with himself this knock, com ing perhaps to some conclusion about it. For the door remained closed. The woman stood before 1t and flush came up into her cheeks. making them young
 She knocked again hard. The )r remained closed A third time she knocked and tears were in her eyes as she turned away.
 Then the door opened
 A man robust and vital and compel ling stood smiling at the woman. He wore a yelveteen coat. He had white beard. A pink rose half-blown was in his buttOnhole. He had cork leg He was no one she had ever seen. the woman said to herself. His eyes were very blue. his cheeks pink. Gay and content seemed he.
 Good morning! Come in He stood aside a little and the woman entered the pink toy house.
 Sunshine filled the house coming in through many windows.
 The sunshine had gay rainbow sheen because it came in by so many green leaves and flowers in the house It glinted on clear large round bowl of goldfish. It sparkled up the feath CTS of greenish birds Altering among orange trees and ferns and oleanders.
 The inside walls of the house, the walls where no windows could be were like museum. Placques were on them from China. kakemono from Japan, fat gods from India and lovely TaJ Mahal; ivory and ruby-incrusted scim- tars from Turkey, monkeys and par rots stuffed, .ifelike. grotesque. from Africa. small unglazed, richly earth colored pottery from Central America, silk fans from Malaysia. On small mirroring mahogany tables bits Of DOT celaln and coral and intricate inlaid fragrant boxes holding treasure. The woman's eyes sparkled her cheeks were deeply flushed. She felt young. not i'll.
 "I will take your house." she said breathlessly.
 The mans eyes sparkled. too. The lips under his very white beard