“Sartin。He’llmakeusallproudofhim，orImissmyguess。And，asfortherestofit，thebigquestionthatcountsmostofallto，him，Ihope——yes，Ithinkthat’scomin’outallright，too。Ruth，“
　　headded，“yourememberwhatItoldyouaboutSam’stalkwithme，thatafternoonwhenhecamebackfromWapatomac。IfMaudcaresfor，himasmuchasallthatsheain’tgoin’tothrowhimoveron，accountofwhathappenedinMiddleford。”
　　“No——no，notifshereallycares。Butdoesshecare——enough？”
　　“Ihopeso。Iguessso。Butifshedoesn’tit’sbetterforhimto，knowit，andknowitnow……Dear，dear！”headded，“howIdo，fireoffopinions，don’tI？，Abody’dthinkIwasloadedupwith，wisdomsameasoneofthosemachinegunsiswithcartridges。About，allI’mloadedwithisblanks，Ical’late。”
　　Shewasnotpayingattentiontothisoutburst，but，standingwith，onehanduponthelatchofthekitchendoor，sheseemedtobe，thinkingdeeply。
　　“Ithinkyouareright，“shesaidslowly。”Yes，Ithinkyouare，right。ItISbettertoknow……Jed，suppose——supposeyou，caredforsomeone，wouldthefactthatherbrotherhadbeenin，prisonmakeanydifferencein——inyourfeeling？”
　　Jedactuallystaggered。Shewasnotlookingathim，nordidshe，lookathimnow。
　　“Eh？”hecried。”Why——why，Ruth，what——what——？”
　　Shesmiledfaintly。”Andthatwasafoolishquestion，too，“she，said。”Foolishtoaskyou，ofallmen……Well，Imustgoon，andgetBabbie’sbreakfast。Poorchild，sheisgoingtomissher，UncleCharlie。Weshallallmisshim……Butthere，Ipromised，himIwouldbebrave。Goodmorning，Jed。”
　　“But——but，Ruth，what-what——？”
　　Shehadnotheardhim。Thedoorclosed。Jedstoodstaringatit，forsomeminutes。Thenhecrossedthelawntohisownlittle，kitchen。Theperformanceshewentthroughduringthenexthour，wouldhaveconfirmedtheopinionofMr。Bearseandhiscoteriethat，“Shavings“Winslowwas“nextdoortoloony。”，Hecookeda，breakfast，buthowhecookeditorofwhatitconsistedhecould，nothavetold。Thenextdayhefoundthestove-lidlifterona，plateintheicechest。Whateverbecameoftheleft-overporkchop，whichshouldhavebeentherehehadnoidea。
　　Babbiecamedancinginatnoononherwayhomefromschool。She，foundherUncleJedinacuriousmood，amoodwhichseemedtobea，compoundofabsent-mindednessandsilencebrokenbysuddenfitsof，songandhilarity。Hewassittingbythebenchwhensheentered，andwasholdinganoilyraginonehandandapieceofemerypaper，intheother。Hewaslookingneitheratpapernorrag，norat，anythingelseinparticularsofarasshecouldsee，andhedidnot，noticeherpresenceatall。Suddenlyhebegantorubthepaperand，theragtogetherandtosingatthetopofhisvoice：
　　“’He’smylilyofthevalley，Mybrightandmornin’star;
　　He’sthefairestoftenthousandtomysoul——Hallelujah！
　　He’smydi-dum-du-dum-di-dum——
　　Di——’“
　　Barbaraburstoutlaughing。Mr。Winslow’shallelujahchorus，stoppedinthemiddleandheturned。
　　“Eh？”heexclaimed，lookingoverhisspectacles。”Oh，it’syou！
　　Sakesalive，child，howdoyougetaroundsoquiet？，Haven’t，borrowedthecat’sfeettowalk，on，haveyou？”
　　Babbielaughedagainandrepliedthatsheguessedthecatwouldn’t，lendherfeet。
　　“Shewouldwant’emherself，prob’ly，UncleJed，“sheadded。
　　“Don’tyouthinkso？”
　　Jedappearedtoconsider。
　　“Well，“hedrawled，“shemight，Ipresumelikely，beasselfishand，unreasonableasallthat。Butthenagainshemight……hum……
　　whatwasitthecatwalkedoninthatstoryyouandIwasreadin’
　　togetheraspellago？，That——er——SureEnoughstory——youknow。By，Kipling，’twas。”
　　“Oh，Iknow！，Itwasn’taSureEnoughstory;itwasa’JustSo’
　　story。Andthenameofitwas’TheCatWhoWalkedbyHisWild，Lone。’“
　　Jedlookeddeeplydisappointed。”Sho！”hesighed。”Ithought，’twasonhiswildlonehewalked。Iwasthinkin’thatmaybehe’d，gonewalkin’onthatforaspellandhadlentyouhisfeet……
　　Hum……Dear，dear！
　　“’Oh，trustandobey，Forthere’snootherway，Tobede-de-de-di-dum——
　　Buttotrustandobey。’“
　　Hereherelapsedintoanotherdaydream。Afterwaitingfora，moment，Babbieventuredtoarousehim。
　　“UncleJed，“sheasked，“whatwereyoudoingwiththosethingsin，yourhand——whenIcamein，youknow？，Thatclothandthatpieceof，paper。Youlookedsofunny，rubbingthemtogether，thatIcouldn’t，helplaughing。”
　　Jedregardedhersolemnly。”It’semerypaper，“hesaid;“likefine，sandpaper，youknow。Andthecloth’sgotileinit。I’mcleanin’
　　therustoffthisscrewdriver。Ihadn’tuseditformore’na，fortni’tanditgotprettyrustythisdampweather。”
　　Thechildlookedathimwonderingly。
　　“But，UncleJed，“shesaid，“thereisn’tanyscrewdriver。AnyhowI
　　don’tseeany。Youwerejustrubbingthesandpaperandthecloth，togetherandsinging。That’swhyitlookedsofunny。”
　　Jedinspectedfirstonehandandthentheother。
　　“Hum！”hedrawled。”Hu-um！……Well，Ideclare！……Nowyou，mentionit，theredon’tseemtobeanyscrewdriver，doesthere？……
　　Here’tisonthebench……AndIwasrubbin’thesandpaper，withile，orilin’thesandpaperwiththerag，whicheveryou，like……Hum，ye-es，Ishouldthinkitmighthavelooked，funny……Babbie，ifyouseemewalkin’aroundwithoutany，headsomemornin’don’tbescared。You’llknowthatthatpart，ofmeain’tgotoutofbedyet，that’sall。”
　　Barbaraleanedherchinonbothsmallfistsandgazedathim。
　　“UncleJed，“shesaid，“you’vebeenthinkingaboutsomething，haven’tyou？”
　　“Eh？……Why，yes，I——IguesslikelymaybeIhave。Howdidyou，know？”
　　“Oh，’causeIdid。PetuniaandIknowyoueverandeversowell，nowandwe’reusedto——tothewayyoudo。Mammasaysthingslike，forgettingthescrewdriverareyourex-eccen-tricks。Isthiswhat，you’vebeenthinkingaboutaniceeccen-trickortheotherkind？”
　　Jedslowlyshookhishead。”I——Idon’tknow，“hegroaned。”I
　　dasn’tbelieve——，There，there！，That’senoughofmytricks。How’s，Petunia’shaircurlin’thismornin’？”
　　Afterthechildlefthimhetriedtopreparehisdinner，butitwas，asunsatisfactoryamealasbreakfasthadbeen。Hecouldn’teat，hecouldn’twork。Hecouldonlythink，andthinkingmeant，alternateperiodsofdelirioushopeandblackdepression。Hesat，downbeforethelittletableinhisliving-roomand，openingthe，drawer，sawRuthArmstrong’spicturedfacelookingupathim。
　　“Jed！，Oh，Jed！”
　　ItwasMaudHunniwell’svoice。Shehadenteredtheshopandthe，living-roomwithouthishearingherandnowshewasstandingbehind，himwithherhanduponhisshoulder。Hestarted，turnedandlooked，upintoherface。Andoneglancecausedhimtoforgethimselfand，eventhepicturedfaceinthedrawerforthetimeandtothinkonly，ofher。
　　“Maud！”heexclaimed。”Maud！”
　　Herhair，usuallysocarefullyarranged，wasdisordered;herhat，wasnotadjustedatitsusualexactangle;andasforthesilver，fox，ithunglimplybacksidefront。Hereyeswereredandsheheld，ahandkerchiefinonehandandaletterintheother。
　　“Oh，Jed！”shecried。
　　Jedputouthishands。”There，there，Maud！”hesaid。”There，there，littlegirl。”
　　Theyhadbeenconfidantssinceherbabyhood，thesetwo。Shecame，tohimnow，andputtingherheaduponhisshoulder，burstintoa，stormofweeping。Jedstrokedherhair。
　　“There，there，Maud，“hesaidgently。”Don’t，girlie，don’t。It’s，goin’tobeallright，Iknowit……Andsoyoucametome，did，you？，I’mawfulgladyoudid，Iamso。”
　　“Heaskedmetocome，“shesobbed。”Hewroteit——in——inthe，letter。”
　　Jedledherovertoachair。”Sitdown，girlie，“hesaid，“and，tellmeallaboutit。Yougottheletter，then？”
　　Shenodded。”Yes，“shesaid，chokingly;“it——itjustcame。Oh，I
　　amsogladFatherdidnotcomehometodinnerto-day。Hewould，have——haveseenmeand——and——oh，whydidhedoit，Jed？，Why？”
　　Jedshookhishead。”Hehadtodoit，Maud，“heanswered。”He，wantedtodotherightthingandthehonorablething。Andyou，wouldratherhavehadhimdothat，wouldn’tyou？”
　　“Oh——oh，Idon’tknow。Butwhydidn’thecometomeandtellme？
　　Whydidhegoawayand——andwritemehehadgonetoenlist？，Why，didn’thecometomefirst？，Oh……Oh，Jed，howCOULDhetreat，meso？”
　　Shewassobbingagain。Jedtookherhandandpatteditwithhis，ownbigone。
　　“Didn’thetellyouintheletterwhy？”heasked。
　　“Yes——yes，but——“
　　“Thenletmetellyouwhathetoldme，Maud。HeandItalkedfor，up’ardsofthreesolidhourslastnightandIcal’lateIunderstood，himprettywellwhenhefinished。Nowletmetellyouwhathesaid，tome。”
　　HetoldherthesubstanceofhislonginterviewwithPhillips。He，toldalsoofCharles’comingtoOrham，ofwhyandhowhetookthe，positioninthebank，ofhisothertalkswithhim——Winslow。
　　“Andso，“saidJed，inconclusion，“yousee，Maud，whatadreadful，loadthepooryoungfeller’sbeencarryin’eversincehecameand，especiallysincehe——well，sincehefoundouthowmuchhewas，carin’foryou。Juststopforaminuteandthinkwhataload，’twas。Hisconsciencewastroublin’himallthetimeforkeepin’
　　thebankjob，forsailin’underfalsecolorsinyoureyesandyour，dad’s。Hewasworkin’andpinchin’topaythetwothousandtothe，maninMiddleford。Hehadhangin’overhimeveryminutethe，practicalcertaintythatsomeday——somedaysure——apersonwas，comin’alongwhoknewhisstoryandthenthefatwouldallbein，thefire。Andwhenitwentintothatfirehewouldn’tbetheonly，onetobeburnt;therewouldbehissisterandBabbie——andyou;
　　mostofall，you。”
　　Shenodded。”Yes，yes，Iknow，“shecried。”Butwhy——oh，why，didn’thecometomeandtellme？，Whydidhegowithoutaword？
　　HemusthaveknownIwouldforgivehim，nomatterwhathehaddone。
　　Itwouldn’thavemadeanydifference，hishavingbeenin——in，prison。Andnow——nowhemaybe——oh，Jed，hemaybekilled！”
　　Shewassobbingagain。Jedpattedherhand。”Wewon’ttalkabout，hisbein’killed，“hesaidstoutly。”Iknowhewon’tbe;Ifeelit，inmybones。But，Maud，can’tyouseewhyhedidn’tcomeandtell，youbeforehewenttoenlist？，Supposehehad。Ifyoucareforhim，somuch——asmuchasIjudgeyoudo——“
　　Sheinterrupted。”Careforhim！”sherepeated。”Oh，Jed！”
　　“Yes，yes，dearie，Iknow。Well，then，carin’forhimlikethat，you’dhavetoldhimjustwhatyoutoldmethen;thatabouthis，havin’donewhathedidandhavin’beenwherehe’sbeennotmakin’
　　anydifference。Andyou’dhavebeggedandcoaxedhimtostayright，alonginthebank，maybe？，Eh？”
　　“Yes，“defiantly。OfcourseIwould。Whynot？”
　　“Andyourfather，wouldyouhavetoldhim？”
　　Shehesitated。”Idon’tknow，“shesaid，butwithlessassurance。
　　“Perhapsso，lateron。Ithadallbeenkeptasecretsofar，all，thewholedreadfulthing，whynotalittlelonger？，Besides——
　　besides，FatherknowshowmuchCharliemeanstome。FatherandI
　　hadalongtalkabouthimonenightandI——Ithinkheknows。And，heisveryfondofCharliehimself;hehassaidsosomanytimes。
　　Hewouldhaveforgivenhim，too，ifIhadaskedhim。Healways，doeswhatIask。”
　　“Yes，ye-es，Ical’latethat’sso。But，toberealhonestnow，Maud，wouldyouhavebeensatisfiedtohaveitthatway？，Wouldyou，havefeltthatitwasthehonorablethingforCharlietodo？，Isn’t，whathehasdonebetter？，He’sundertakin’thebiggestandfinest，jobamancandointhisworldto-day，asIseeit。It’sthejob，he’dhavetakenonmonthsagoifhe’dfelt’twasrighttoleave，Ruth——Mrs。Armstrong——sosoonafter——afterbein’separatedfromher，solong。He’stakenonthisbigjob，thisman’sjob，andhesays，toyou：’HereIam。Youknowmenow。Doyoucareformestill？
　　IfyoudowillyouwaittillIcomeback？’，Andtoyourdad，to，Sam，hesays：’Iain’tworkin’foryounow。Iain’tonyour，payrollandsoIcanspeakoutfreeandindependent。Ifyour，daughter’llhavemeImeantomarryhersomeday。’，Ain’tthatthe，betterway，Maud？，Ain’tthathowyou’dratherhavehimfeel——and，do？”
　　Shesighedandshookherhead。”I——Isupposeso，“sheadmitted。
　　“Oh，Isupposethatyouandheareright。Inhisletterhesays，justthat。Wouldyouliketoseeit;thatpartofit，Imean？”
　　Jedtookthecrumpledandtear-stainedletterfromherhand。
　　“IthinkIoughttotellyou，Maud，“hesaid，“thatwritin’this，washisownidea。Itwasmethatsuggestedhisenlistin’，although，Ifoundhe’dbeenthinkin’ofitallalong，butIwasforhavin’
　　himgoandenlistandthencomebackandtellyouandSam。Buthe，says，’No。I’lltellherinaletterandthenwhenIcomeback，she’llhavehadtimetothinkitover。Shewon’tsay’yes’then，simplybecauseshepitiesmeorbecauseshedoesn’trealizewhatit，means。No，I’llwriteherandthenwhenIcomebackafterenlistin’
　　andgotoherformyanswer，I’llknowit’sgivendeliberate。’“
　　Shenodded。”Hesaysthatthere，“shesaidchokingly。”Buthe——he，musthaveknown。Oh，Jed，howCANIlethimgo——towar？”
　　ThatportionoftheletterwhichJedwaspermittedtoreadwas，straightforwardandhonestandmanly。Therewerenoappealsfor，pityorsympathy。Thewriterstatedhiscaseandlefttherestto，her，thatwasall。AndJed，readingbetweenthelines，respected，CharlesPhillipsmorethanever。
　　HeandMaudtalkedforalongtimeafterthat。And，atlast，they，reachedapointwhichJedhadtriedhisbesttoavoid。Maud，mentioneditfirst。Shehadbeenspeakingofhisfriendshipfor，herloverandforherself。
　　“Idon’tseewhatweshouldhavedonewithoutyourhelp，Jed，“she，said。”AndwhenIthinkwhatyouhavedoneforCharlie！，Why，yes——
　　andnowIknowwhyyoupretendedtohavefoundthefourhundred，dollarsFatherthoughthehadlost。PaleftitatWapatomac，after，all;youknewthat？”
　　Jedstirreduneasily。Hewasstandingbythewindow，lookingout，intotheyard。
　　“Yes，yes，“hesaidhastily，“Iknow。Don’ttalkaboutit，Maud。
　　Itmakesmefeelmorelikeafoolthanusualand……er……
　　don’tseemasifthatwashardlynecessary，doesit？”
　　“ButIshalltalkaboutit。WhenFathercamehomethatnighthe，couldn’ttalkofanythingelse。Hecalledittheprizepuzzleof，thecentury。Youhadgivenhimfourhundreddollarsofyourown，moneyandpretendeditwashisandthatyouhad——hadstolenit，Jed。HeburstoutlaughingwhenhetoldmethatandsodidI。The，ideaofyourstealinganything！，You！”
　　Jedsmiled，feebly。
　　“’Twassillyenough，Igivein，“headmitted。”Yousee，“headded，inanapologeticdrawl，“nine-tenthsofthistownthinkI’maprize，idiotandsometimesIfeelit’smydutytoliveup——ordown——tomy，reputation。Thiswasoneofthetimes，that’sall。I’mawfulglad，Samgothisownmoneyback，though。”
　　“Themoneydidn’tamounttoanything。Butwhatyoudidwasthe，wonderfulthing。FornowIunderstandwhyyoudidit。You，thought——youthoughtCharliehadtakenitto——topaythathorrid，maninMiddleford。Thatiswhatyouthoughtandyou——“
　　Jedbrokein。”Don’t！，Don’tputmeinmindofit，Maud，“he，begged。”I’msoashamedIdon’tknowwhattodo。Yousee——you，see，Charliehadsaidhowmuchheneededaboutthatmuchmoneyand——
　　andso，bein’a——awoodenhead，Inaturally——“
　　“Oh，don’t！，Pleasedon’t！，Itwaswonderfulofyou，Jed。Younot，onlygaveupyourownmoney，butyouwerewillingtosacrificeyour，goodname;tohaveFather，yourbestfriend，thinkyouathief。
　　AndyoudiditalltosaveCharliefromexposure。Howcouldyou，Jed？”
　　Jeddidn’tanswer。Hedidnotappeartohaveheardher。Hewas，gazingsteadilyoutintotheyard。
　　“Howcouldyou，Jed？”repeatedMaud。”Itwaswonderful！，Ican’t，understand。I——“
　　Shestoppedatthebeginningofthesentence。Shewasstanding，besidethelittlewriting-tableandthedrawerwasopen。She，lookeddownandthere，inthatdrawer，shesawtheframed，photographofRuthArmstrong。SherememberedthatJedhadbeen，sittingatthatdeskandgazingdownintothatdrawerwhenshe，enteredtheroom。Shelookedathimnow。Hewasstandingbythe，windowpeeringoutintotheyard。Ruthhadcomefromthebackdoor，ofthelittleWinslowhouseandwasstandingonthesteplookingup，theroad，evidentlywaitingforBarbaratocomefromschool。And，Jedwaswatchingher。Maudsawthelookuponhisface——andshe，understood。
　　AfewmomentslatersheandRuthmet。Maudhadtriedtoavoidthat，meetingbyleavingJed’spremisesbythefrontdoor，thedoorof，theoutershop。ButRuthhadwalkedtothegatetoseeifBabbie，wascomingand，asMaudemergedfromtheshop，thetwowomencame，facetoface。Foraninstanttheydidnotspeak。Maud，excited，andoverwroughtbyherexperiencewiththeletterandherinterview，withJed，wasstillstrugglingforself-control，andRuth，knowing，thattheothermustbythistimehavereceivedthatletterand，learnedherbrother’ssecret，wasinclinedtobecoldlydefiant。
　　Shewasthefirsttobreakthesilence。Shesaid“Goodafternoon“
　　andpassedon。ButMaud，afteranotherinstantofhesitation，turnedback。
　　“Oh，Mrs。Armstrong，“shefaltered，“mayIspeakwithyoujust——
　　justforafewminutes？”
　　AndnowRuthhesitated。Whatwasitthegirlwishedtospeak，about？，Ifitwastoreproachherorherbrother，ortodemand，furtherexplanationsorapologies，theinterviewhadfarbetternot，takeplace。Shewasinnomoodtolistentoreproaches。Charles，was，inhereyes，amartyrandaheroandnow，largelybecauseof，thisgirl，hewasgoingawaytocertaindanger，perhapstodeath。
　　Shehadtried，forhissake，nottoblameMaudHunniwellbecause，Charleshadfalleninlovewithher，butshewasnot，justthen，inclinedtowardextremeforbearance。Soshehesitated，andMaud，spokeagain。
　　“MayIspeakwithyouforjustafewminutes？”shepleaded。”I
　　havejustgothisletterand——oh，mayI？”
　　Ruthsilentlyledthewaytothedoorofthelittlehouse。
　　“Comein，“shesaid。
　　Togethertheyenteredthesitting-room。Ruthaskedhercallerto，beseated，butMaudpaidnoattention。
　　“Ihavejustgothisletter，“shefaltered。”I——Iwantedyouto，know——toknowthatitdoesn’tmakeanydifference。I——Idon’t，care。Ifhelovesme，and——andhesayshedoes——Idon’tcarefor，anythingelse……Oh，’PLEASEbenicetome，“shebegged，holdingoutherhands。”Youarehissisterand——andIlovehimso！
　　Andheisgoingawayfrombothofus。”
　　SoRuth’scoldnessmeltedlikeafallofsnowinearlyApril，and，theAprilshowersfollowedit。SheandMaudweptineachother’s，armsandwerefemininelyhappyaccordingly。Andforatleasta，halfhourthereaftertheydiscussedthesurpassingexcellenciesof，CharliePhillips，thecertaintythatCaptainHunniwellwould，forgivehimbecausehecouldnothelpitandavarietyofkindred，andsatisfyingsubjects。AndatlastJedWinslowdriftedintothe，conversation。
　　“AndsoyouhavebeentalkingitoverwithJed，“observedRuth。
　　“Isn’titoddhowweallgotohimwhenweareintroubleorneed，adviceoranything？，IalwaysdoandCharliedid，andyousaythat，youdo，too。”
　　Maudnodded。”HeandIhavebeenwhatPacalls’chummies’ever，sinceIcanremember，“shesaidsimply。
　　“Idon’tknowwhyIfeelthatIcanconfideinhimtosuchan，extent。SomehowIalwayshave。And，doyouknow，hisadviceis，almostalwaysgood？，IfIhadtakenitfromthefirstwemight，all，ofus，haveavoidedadealoftrouble。Ihavecausetothinkof，JedWinslowassomethingsureandsafeandtrustworthy。Likea，nice，kindlyoldwatchdog，youknow。Aqueeroneandafunnyone，butawfullynice。Babbieidolizeshim。”
　　Maudnoddedagain。Shewasregardinghercompanionwithanodd，expression。
　　“AndwhenIthink，“continuedRuth，“ofhowhewaswillingto，sacrificehischaracterandhishonorandeventorisklosingyour，father’sfriendship——howheproclaimedhimselfathieftosave，Charlie！，WhenIthinkofthatIscarcelyknowwhethertolaughor，cry。Iwanttodoboth，ofcourse。Itwasperfectly，characteristicandperfectlyadorable——andsoabsolutelyabsurd。I
　　lovehimforit，andasyetIhaven’tdaredthankhimforfearI
　　shallcryagain，asIdidwhenCaptainHunniwelltoldus。Yet，whenIthinkofhisdeclaringhetookthemoneytobuyasuitof，clothes，Ifeellikelaughing。Oh，heISadear，isn’the？”
　　Now，ordinarily，Maudwouldhavefoundnothinginthisspeechto，arouseresentment。Therewastheveryslight，andinthiscase，quiteunintentional，noteofpatronageinitthateveryoneused，whenreferringtoJedWinslow。Sheherselfalmostinvariablyused，thatnotewhenspeakingofhimoreventohim。Butnowher，emotionsweresodeeplystirredandthememoriesofherrecent，interviewwithJed，ofhisunderstandingandhissympathy，wereso，vivid。And，too，shehadjusthadthatglimpseintohismost，secretsoul。Sohertone，assherepliedtoRuth’sspeech，was，almostsharp。
　　“Hedidn’tdoitforCharlie，“shedeclared。”Thatis，ofcourse，hedid，butthatwasn’ttherealreason。”
　　“Why，whatdoyoumean？”
　　“Don’tyouknowwhatImean？，Don’tyoureallyknow？”
　　“Why，ofcourseIdon’t。WhatAREyoutalkingabout？，Didn’tdoit，forCharlie？，Didn’tsaythathewasathiefandgiveyourfather，hisownmoney，doyoumean？，Doyoumeanhedidn’tdothatfor，Charlie？”
　　“Yes。Hediditforyou。”
　　“Forme？，ForME？”
　　“Yes……Oh，can’tyouunderstand？，It’sabsurdandfoolishand，sillyandeverything，butIknowit’strue。JedWinslowisinlove，withyou，Mrs。Armstrong。”
　　Ruthleanedbackinherchairandstaredatherasifshethought，herinsane。
　　“InlovewithME？”sherepeated。”JedWinslow！，Maud，don’t！”
　　“It’strue，Itellyou。Ididn’tknowuntiljustnow，althoughif，ithadbeenanyonebutJedIshouldhavesuspectedforsometime。
　　Butto-daywhenIwentinthereIsawhimsittingbeforehisdesk，lookingdownintoanopendrawerthere。Hehasyourphotographin，thatdrawer。And，lateron，whenyoucameoutintotheyard，Isaw，himwatchingyou;Isawhisfaceandthatwasenough……Oh，don’tyouSEE？”impatiently。”Itexplainseverything。You，couldn’tunderstand，norcouldI，whyheshouldsacrificehimself，soforCharlie。ButbecauseCharliewasyourbrother——thatis，anotherthing。Think，justthink！，YouandIwouldhaveguessedit，beforeifhehadbeenanyoneelseexceptjustJed。Yes，heisin，lovewithyou……It’scrazyandit’sridiculousand——andall，that，ofcourseitis。But，“withasuddenburstoftemper，“if，you——ifyoudaretolaughI’llneverspeaktoyouagain。”
　　ButRuthwasnotlaughing。
　　ItwasacloudydayandJed’sliving-roomwasalmostdarkwhenRuth，enteredit。Jed，whohadbeensittingbythedesk，rosewhenshe，camein。
　　“Landsakes，Ruth，“heexclaimed，“it’syou，ain’tit？，Letme，lightalamp。Iwassettin’hereinthedarklikea……likea，hengonetoroost……Eh？，Why，it’s’mostsupper’time，ain’t，it？，Didn’trealize’twassolate。I’llhavealightforyouina，jiffy。”
　　Hewasonhiswaytothekitchen，butshestoppedhim。
　　“No，“shesaidquickly。”Don’tgetalight。I’drathernot，please。Andsitdownagain，Jed;justasyouwere。There，bythe，desk;that’sit。Yousee，“sheadded，“I——I——well，Ihave，somethingtotellyou，and——andIcantellitbetterinthedark，I
　　think。”
　　Jedlookedatherinsurprise。Hecouldnotseeherfaceplainly，butsheseemedoddlyconfusedandembarrassed。
　　“Sho！”hedrawled。”Well，I’msureIain’tanxiousaboutthe，light，myself。Youknow，I’vealwayshadafeelin’thatthedark，wasmorebecomin’tomystyleofbeauty。Takemeabouttwelve，o’clockinafoggynight，inacellar，withthelampout，andI
　　lookprettynighhandsome——toablindman……Um-hm。”
　　Shemadenocommentonthisconfession。Jed，afterwaitingan，instantforhertospeak，venturedareminder。
　　“Don’tmindmytalkin’foolishness，“hesaid，apologetically。”I’m，feelin’alittlemorelikemyselfthanIhavefor——foraweekor，so，andwhenIfeelthatwayI’mboundtobefoolish。Justgettin’
　　backtonature，asthemagazinefolkstellabout，Ical’late’tis。”
　　Sheleanedforwardandlaidahandonhissleeve。
　　“Don’t！”shebegged。”Don’ttalkaboutyourselfinthatway，Jed。
　　WhenIthinkwhatafriendyouhavebeentomeandmineI——Ican’t，beartohearyousaysuchthings。Ihaveneverthankedyoufor，whatyoudidtosavemybrotherwhenyouthoughthehadgonewrong，again。Ican’tthankyounow——Ican’t。”
　　Hervoicebroke。Jedtwistedinhisseat。
　　“Now——now，Ruth，“hepleaded，“dolet’sforgetthat。I’vemadea，foolofmyselfagoodmanytimesinmylife——moregettin’backto，nature，yousee——butIhopeInevermademyselfoutquitesucha，blitherin’numbskullasIdidthattime。Don’ttalkaboutit，don’t。Iain’texactlywhatyou’dcallproudofit。”
　　“ButIam。AndsoisCharlie。ButIwon’ttalkofitifyou，preferIshouldn’t……Jed——“shehesitated，faltered，andthen，beganagain：“Jed，“shesaid，“ItoldyouwhenIcameinthatIhad，somethingtotellyou。Ihave。Ihavetoldnooneelse，noteven，Charlie，becausehewentawaybeforeIwas——quitesure。ButnowI
　　amgoingtotellyoubecauseeversinceIcamehereyouhavebeen，myfatherconfessor，sotospeak。Yourealizethat，don’tyou？”
　　Jedrubbedhischin。
　　“W-e-e-ll，“heobserved，withgreatdeliberation，“Idon’tknow’s，I’dgoasfarastosaythat。BabbieandI’veagreedthatI’mher，back-step-uncle，butthat’sasnighrelationasI’veeverdast，figureIwastothefamily。”
　　“Don’tjokeaboutit。YouknowwhatImean。Well，Jed，thisis，whatIamgoingtotellyou。Itisverypersonalandvery，confidentialandyoumustpromisenottotellanyoneyet。Will，you？”
　　“Eh？，Why，sartin，ofcourse。”
　　“Yes。Ihopeyoumaybegladtohearit。Itwouldmakeyouglad，toknowthatIwashappy，wouldn’tit？”
　　ForthefirsttimeJeddidnotanswerintheinstant。Theshadows，weredeepinthelittleliving-roomnow，butRuthfeltthathewas，leaningforwardandlookingather。
　　“Yes，“hesaid，afteramoment。”Yes……but——Idon’tknowasI
　　knowexactlywhatyoumean，doI？”
　　“Youdon’t——yet。ButIhopeyouwillbegladwhenyoudo。Jed，youlikeMajorGrover，don’tyou？”
　　Jeddidnotmoveperceptibly，butsheheardhischaircreak。He，wasstillleaningforwardandsheknewhisgazewasfixeduponher，face。
　　“Yes，“hesaidveryslowly。”Ilikehimfirst-rate。”
　　“I’mglad。Because——well，becauseIhavecometolikehimsomuch。
　　Jed，he——hehasaskedmetobehiswife。”
　　Therewasabsolutestillnessinthelittleroom。Then，afterwhat，seemedtoherseverallongminutes，hespoke。
　　“Yes……yes，Isee……”hesaid。”Andyou？，You’ve……”
　　“AtfirstIcouldnotanswerhim。Mybrother’ssecretwasinthe，wayandIcouldnottellhimthat。Butlastnight——orthis，morning——CharlieandIdiscussedallouraffairsandhegaveme，permissiontotell——Leonard。Sowhenhecameto-dayItoldhim。
　　Hesaiditmadenodifference。And——andIamgoingtomarryhim，Jed。”
　　Jed’schaircreakedagain，butthatwastheonlysound。Ruth，waiteduntilshefeltthatshecouldwaitnolonger。Thenshe，stretchedoutahandtowardhiminthedark。
　　“Oh，Jed，“shecried，“aren’tyougoingtosayanythingtome——
　　anythingatall？”
　　Sheheardhimdrawalongbreath。Thenhespoke。
　　“Why——why，yes，ofcourse，“hesaid。”I——I——ofcourseIam。I——
　　youkindofgotmebysurprise，that’sall……Ihadn’t——hadn’t，expectedit，yousee。”
　　“Iknow。EvenCharliewassurprised。Butyou’reglad，formy，sake，aren’tyou，Jed？”
　　“Eh？……Yes，oh，yes！，I’m——I’mglad。”
　　“Ihopeyouare。IfitwerenotforpoorCharlie’sgoingawayand，theanxietyabouthimandhisproblemIshouldbeveryhappy——
　　happierthanIbelievedIevercouldbeagain。You’regladof，that，aren’tyou，Jed？”
　　“Eh？……Yes，yes，ofcourse……”
　　“Andyouwillcongratulateme？，YoulikeMajorGrover？，Pleasesay，youdo。”
　　Jedroseslowlyfromhischair。Hepassedahandindazedfashion，acrosshisforehead。
　　“Yes，“hesaid，again。”Themajor’safineman……Ido，congratulateyou，ma’am。”
　　“Oh，Jed！，Notthatway。Asifyoumeantit。”
　　“Eh？……I——Idomeanit……Ihope——Ihopeyou’llbereal，happy，bothofyou，ma’am。”
　　“Oh，notthat——Ruth。”
　　“Yes——yes，sartin，ofcourse……Ruth，Imean。”
　　Shelefthimstandingbythewritingtable。Aftershehadgonehe，sankslowlydownintothechairagain。Eighto’clockstruckandhe，wasstillsittingthere……AndFatechosethattimetosend，CaptainSamHunniwellstridingupthewalkandstormingfuriously，atthebackdoor。
　　“Jed！”roaredthecaptain。”JedWinslow！，Jed！”
　　Jedliftedhisheadfromhishands。Hemostdecidedlydidnotwish，toseeCaptainSamoranyoneelse。
　　“Jed！”roaredthecaptainagain。
　　Jedacceptedtheinevitable。”HereIam，“hegroaned，miserably。
　　Thecaptaindidnotwaitforaninvitationtoenter。Having，ascertainedthattheownerofthebuildingwaswithin，hepulled，thedooropenandstampedintothekitchen。
　　“Whereareyou？”hedemanded。
　　“Here，“repliedJed，withoutmoving。
　　“Here？，Where’shere？……Oh，you’reinthere，areyou？，Hidin’
　　thereinthedark，eh？，Afraidtoshowmeyourface，Ishouldn’t，wonder。Bythegraciousking，Ishouldthinkyouwouldbe！，What，haveyougottosaytome，eh？”
　　ApparentlyJedhadnothingtosay。CaptainSamdidnotwait。
　　“Andyou’vecalledyourselfmyfriend！”hesneeredsavagely。
　　“Friend——you’reahealthyfriend，JedWinslow！，Whathaveyougot，tosaytome……eh？”
　　Jedsighed。”MaybeI’dbebetterabletosayitifIknewwhatyou，wastalkin’about，Sam，“heobserved，drearily。
　　“Know！，Iguesslikelyyouknowallright。Andaccordingtoher，you’veknownallalong。Whatdoyoumeanbylettin’metakethat——
　　thatstate’sprisonbirdintomybank？，Andlettin’himassociate，withmydaughterand——and……Oh，bygraciousking！，WhenIthink，thatyouknewwhathewasallalong，I——I——“
　　Hisangerchokedofftherestofthesentence。Jedrubbedhiseyes，andsatupinhischair。Forthefirsttimesincethecaptain’s，entranceherealizedalittleofwhatthelattersaid。Beforethat，hehadbeenconsciousonlyofhisowndull，aching，hopelessmisery。
　　“Hum……Soyou’vefoundout，Sam，haveyou？”hemused。
　　“Foundout！，YoubetI’vefoundout！，IonlywishtotheLordI’d，foundoutmonthsago，that’sall。”
　　“Hum……Charliedidn’ttellyou？……No-o，no，hecouldn’t，havegotbacksosoon。”
　　“Backbehanged！，Idon’tknowwhetherhe’sbackornot，blasthim。
　　ButIain’tafoolALLthetime，JedWinslow，notallthetimeI
　　ain’t。AndwhenIcamehometonightandfoundMaudcryin’to，herselfandnoreasonforit，sofarasIcouldsee，Isetoutto，learnthatreason。AndIdidlearnit。Shetoldmethewhole，yarn，thewholeofit。AndIsawthescamp’sletter。AndI
　　draggedoutofherthatyou——youhadknownallthetimewhathe，was，andhadnevertoldmeaword……Oh，howcouldyou，Jed！
　　Howcouldyou！”
　　Jed’svoicewasatriflelesslistlessasheanswered。
　　“Itwastoldmeinconfidence，Sam，“hesaid。”ICOULDN’Ttell，you。And，astimewentalongandIbegantoseewhatafineboy，Charliereallywas，Ifeltsure’twouldallcomeoutrightinthe，end。Andithas，asIseeit。”
　　“WHAT？”
　　“Yes，it’scomeoutallright。Charlie’sgonetofight，sameas，everydecentyoungfellerwantstodo。HethinkstheworldofMaud，andshedoesofhim，buthewashonorableenoughnottoaskher，whileheworkedforyou，Sam。Hewrotetheletterafterhe’dgone，soastomakeiteasierforhertosayno，ifshefeltlikesayin’
　　it。Andwhenhecamebackfromenlistin’hewasgoin’straightto，youtomakeacleanbreastofeverything。He’sagoodboy，Sam。
　　He’shadhardluckandhe’sbeenintrouble，buthe’sallrightand，Iknowit。Andyouknowit，too，SamHunniwell。Downinsideyou，youknowit，too。Why，you’vetoldmeahundredtimeswhatafine，chapCharliePhillipswasandhowmuchyouthoughtofhim，and——“
　　CaptainHunniwellinterrupted。”Shutup！”hecommanded。”Don’t，talktomethatway！，Don’tyoudareto！，Ididthinkalotofhim，butthatwasbeforeIknewwhathe’ddoneandwherehe’dbeen。Do，youcal’lateI’llletmydaughtermarryamanthat’sbeenin，state’sprison？”
　　“But，Sam，itwan’tallhisfault，really。Andhe’llgostraight，fromthison。Iknowhewill。”
　　“Shutup！，Hecangotothedevilfromthison，butheshan’ttake，herwithhim……Why，Jed，youknowwhatMaudistome。She’s，allI’vegot。She’sallI’vecontrivedforandworkedforinthis，world。ThinkofalltheplansI’vemadeforher！”
　　“Iknow，Sam，Iknow;butprettyoftenourplansdon’tworkout，justaswemake’em。Sometimeswehavetochange’em——orgive’em，up。AndyouwantMaudtobehappy。”
　　“Happy！，Iwanttobehappymyself，don’tI？，DoyouthinkI’m，goin’togiveupallmyplansandallmyhappinessjust——just，becauseshewantstomakeafoolofherself？，Give’emup！，It’s，easyforyoutosay’giveup。’，Whatdoyouknowaboutit？”
　　Itwasthelaststraw。Jedsprangtohisfeetsosuddenlythathis，chairfelltothefloor。
　　“Knowaboutit！”heburstforth，withsuchfierceindignationthat，thecaptainactuallygaspedinastonishment。”Knowaboutit！”
　　repeatedJed。”WhatdoIknowaboutgivin’upmyownplansand——
　　andhopes，doyoumean？，Oh，myLordabove！，Ain’tIbeengivin’
　　’emupandgivin’’emupallmylifelong？，WhenIwasaboydidn’t，Igiveuptheeducationthatmighthavemademea——aMANinstead，of——ofatownlaughin’stock？，WhileMotherlivedwasIdoin’much，butgiveupmyselfforher？，Iain’tsayin’’twasanymore’nright，thatIshould，butIdidit，didn’tI？，Andeversinceit’sbeen，thesameway。Itellyou，I’vecometobelievethatlifeforme，meansone’giveup’aftertheotherandwon’tmeananythingbut，thattillIdie。Andyou——youaskmewhatIknowaboutit！，YOU
　　do！”
　　CaptainSamwassotakenabackthathewasalmostspeechless。In，allhislongacquaintancewithJedWinslowhehadneverseenhim，likethis。
　　“Why——why，Jed！”hestammered。ButJedwasnotlistening。He，strodeacrosstheroomandseizedhisvisitorbythearm。
　　“Yougohome，SamHunniwell，“heordered。”Gohomeandthink——
　　THINK，Itellyou。Allyourlifeyou’vehadjustwhatIhaven’t。
　　Youmarriedthegirlyouwantedandyouandshewerehappy，together。You’vebeenlookeduptoandrespectedhereinOrham;
　　folksneverlaughedatyouorcalledyou’towncrank。’，You’vegot，adaughterandshe’sagoodgirl。Andthemanshewantstomarry，isagoodman，and，ifyou’llgivehimachanceandhelives，throughthewarhe’sgoin’into，he’llmakeyouproudofhim。You，gohome，SamHunniwell！，Gohome，andthankGodyou’rewhatyouare，andASyouare……No，Iwon’ttalk！，Idon’twanttotalk！……
　　GoHOME。”
　　Hehadbeendragginghisfriendtothedoor。Nowheactually，pushedhimacrossthethresholdandslammedthedoorbetweenthem。
　　“Well，for……theLord……sakes！”exclaimedCaptainHunniwell。
　　Thescrapingofthekeyinthelockwashisonlyanswer。
　　CHAPTERXXI
　　Achildspendstimeandthoughtandenergyuponthebuildingofa，houseofblocks。Bythetimeitisnearingcompletionithas，becometohimaveryrealedifice。Therefore，whenitcollapses，intoanungracefulheapupontheflooritispoorconsolationtobe，remindedthat，afterall，itwasmerelyablockhouseandcouldn’t，beexpectedtostand。
　　Jed，inhisownchild-likefashion，hadrearedhismoonshinecastle，beambybeam。Atfirsthehadregardeditasmoonshineandhad，refusedtoconsiderthebuildingofitanythingbutadangerously，pleasantpastime。Andthen，littlebylittle，ashisdreams，changedtohopes，ithadbecomemoreandmorereal，until，just，beforetheend，itwasthefoundationuponwhichhisfuturewasto，rest。Anddownitcame，andtherewashisfutureburiedinthe，ruins。
　　Andithadbeenallmoonshinefromtheveryfirst。Jed，sitting，therealoneinhislittleliving-room，couldseenowthatithad，beennothingbutthat。RuthArmstrong，young，charming，cultured——
　　couldshehavethoughtoflinkingherlifewiththatofJedidah，EdgarWilfredWinslow，forty-five，“towncrank“andbuilderof，windmills？，Ofcoursenot——andagainofcoursenot。Obviouslyshe，neverhadthoughtofsuchathing。Shehadbeengrateful，thatwas，all;perhapsshehadpitiedhimjustalittleandbehindher，expressionsofkindlinessandfriendshipwaspityandlittleelse。
　　Moonshine——moonshine——moonshine。And，oh，whatafoolhehadbeen！
　　Whatapoor，sillyfool！
　　Sothenightpassedandmorningcameandwithitacertaindegree，ofbitterlyphilosophicacceptanceofthesituation。HeWASa，fool;somuchwassure。Hewasofnouseintheworld，henever，hadbeen。Peoplelaughedathimandhedeservedtobelaughedat。
　　Herosefromthebeduponwhichhehadthrownhimselfsometime，duringtheearlymorninghoursand，aftereatingacoldmouthfulor，twoinlieuofbreakfast，satdownathisturninglathe。Hecould，makechildren’swhirligigs，thatwasthemeasureofhiscapacity。
　　Alltheforenoonthelathehummed。Severaltimesstepssoundedon，thefrontwalkandthelatchoftheshopdoorrattled，butJeddid，notrisefromhisseat。Hehadnotunlockedthatdoor，hedidnot，meantoforthepresent。Hedidnotwanttowaitoncustomers;he，didnotwanttoseecallers;hedidnotwanttotalkorbetalked，to。Hedidnotwanttothink，either，butthathecouldnothelp。
　　Andhecouldnotshutoutallthecallers。One，whocamealittle，afternoon，refusedtoremainshutout。Shepoundedthedoorand，shouted“UncleJed“forsomefewminutes;then，justasJedhad，beguntothinkshehadgivenupandgoneaway，heheardathumping，uponthewindowpaneand，lookingup，sawherlaughingandnodding，outside。
　　“Iseeyou，UncleJed，“shecalled。”Letmein，please。”
　　SoJedwasobligedtoletherinandsheenteredwithaskipanda，jump，quiteunconsciousthather“back-step-uncle“wasinanyway，different，eitherinfeelingsordesireforhersociety，thanhe，hadbeenformonths。
　　“Whydidyouhavethedoorlocked，UncleJed？”shedemanded。”Did，youforgettounlockit？”
　　Jed，withoutlookingather，mutteredsomethingtotheeffectthat，hecal’latedhemusthave。
　　“Um-hm，“sheobserved，withanodofcomprehension。”Ithought，thatwasit。Youdiditoncebefore，youknow。Itwasaex-eccen-
　　trick，leavingitlockedwas，Iguess。Don’tyouthinkitwasa——
　　a——oneofthosekindoftricks，UncleJed？”
　　Silence，exceptforthehumandraspofthelathe。
　　“Don’tyou，UncleJed？”repeatedBarbara。
　　“Eh？……Oh，yes，Ipresumelikelyso。”
　　Babbie，sittingonthelumberpile，kickedhersmallheelstogether，andregardedhimwithspeculativeinterest。
　　“UncleJed，“shesaid，afterafewmomentsofsilentconsideration，“whatdoyousupposePetuniatoldmejustnow？”
　　Noanswer。
　　“WhatdoyousupposePetuniatoldme？”repeatedBabbie。”Something，aboutyou’twas，UncleJed。”
　　StillJeddidnotreply。Hissilencewasnotdeliberate;hehad，beensoabsorbedinhisownpessimisticmusingsthathehadnot，heardthequestion，thatwasall。Barbaratriedagain。
　　“ShetoldmesheguessedyouhadbeenthinkingAWF’LYhardabout，somethingthistime，elseyouwouldn’thavesomanyeccen-tricks，to-day。”
　　Silenceyet。Babbieswallowedhard：
　　“I——Idon’tthinkIlikeeccen-tricks，UncleJed，“shefaltered。
　　Notaword。ThenJed，stoopingtopickupapieceofwoodfromthe，pileofcutstockbesidethelathe，wasconsciousofalittle，sniff。Helookedup。Hissmallvisitor’slipwasquiveringand，twobigtearswerejustreadytooverflowherlowerlashes。
　　“Eh？，……Mercysakesalive！”heexclaimed。”Why，what’sthe，matter？”
　　Thelipquiveredstillmore。”I——Idon’tliketohaveyounot，speaktome，“sobbedBabbie。”You——youneverdiditso——solong，before。”
　　Thatappealwassufficient。Away，forthetime，wentJed’s，pessimismandhishopelessmusings。Heforgotthathewasafool，the“towncrank，“andofnouseintheworld。Heforgothisown，heartbreak，chagrinanddisappointment。AmomentlaterBabbiewas，onhisknee，hidingheremotioninthefrontofhisjacket，andhe，wastryinghisbesttosootheherwithcharacteristicWinslow，nonsense。
　　“Youmustn’tmindme，Babbie，“hedeclared。”My——myheadain’t，workin’justrightto-day，seemsso。Ishouldn’twonderif——ifI
　　woundittootight，orsomethin’likethat。”
　　Babbie’stear-stainedfaceemergedfromthejacketfront。
　　“WoundyourHEADtootight，UncleJed？”shecried。
　　“Ye-es，yes。Iwaskindofextraabsent-mindedyesterdayandI
　　thoughtIwoundtheclock，butIcouldn’thavedonethat’causethe，clock’sstopped。YetIknowIwoundsomethin’andit’sjustas，liabletohavebeenmyheadasanythingelse。Youlistenjustback，ofmystarboardearthereandseeifI’mtickin’reg’lar。”
　　Thebalanceoftheconversationbetweenthetwowasofadistinctly，personalnature。
　　“Yousee，UncleJed，“saidBarbara，asshejumpedfromhisknee，preparatorytorunningofftoschool，“Idon’tlikeyoutodo，eccen-tricksandnottalktome。Idon’tlikeitatalland，neitherdoesPetunia。Youwon’tdoanymore——notforsolongata，time，willyou，UncleJed？”
　　Jedsighed。”I’lltrynotto，“hesaid，soberly。
　　Shenodded。”Ofcourse，“sheobserved，“weshan’tmindyoudoinga，few，becauseyoucan’thelpthat。Butyoumustn’tsitstilland，notpayattentionwhenwetalkforeverandeversolong。I——I
　　don’tknowprecactlywhatIandPetuniawoulddoifyouwouldn’t，talktous，UncleJed。”
　　“Don’t，eh？，Humph！，Ipresumelikelyyou’dgetalongprettywell。
　　Iain’tmuchaccount。”
　　Barbaralookedathiminhorrifiedsurprise。
　　“Oh，UncleJed！”shecried，“youmustn’ttalkso！，YouMUSTN’T！
　　Why——why，you’rethebestestmanthereis。Andthereisn’tanybody，inOrhamcanmakewindmillsthewayyoucan。IaskedTeacherif，therewasandshesaidno。Sothere！，Andyou’reaGREAT
　　cons’lationtoallourfamily，“sheadded，solemnly。”Wejust，couldn’tever——EVERdowithoutyou。”
　　WhenthechildwentJeddidnottakethetroubletolockthedoor，afterher;consequentlyhisnextcallersenteredwithoutdifficulty，andcamedirectlytotheinnershop。Jed，oncemoreabsorbedin，gloomymusings——notquiteasgloomy，perhaps;somehowtheclouds，hadnotdescendedquitesoheavilyuponhissoulsinceBabbie’s，visit——lookeduptoseetherestandingbehindhimMaudHunniwell，andCharliePhillips。
　　Hesprangtohisfeet。”Eh？”hecried，delightedly。”Well，well，soyou’reback，Charlie，safeandsound。Well，well！”
　　PhillipsgraspedthehandwhichJedhadextendedandshookit，heartily。
　　“Yes，I’mback，“hesaid。
　　“Um-hm……And——er——howdidyouleaveUncleSam？，Oldfeller’s，prettybusythesedays，’cordin’tothepapers。”
　　“Yes，Iimagineheis。”
　　“Um-hm……Well，didyou——er——makehimhappy？，Givehisarmy，theonethingneedfultomakeit——er——perfect？”
　　Charlielaughed。”IfyoumeandidIaddmyselftoit，“hesaid，“I
　　did。Iamanenlistedmannow，Jed。AssoonasVonHindenburg，hearsthat，he’llcommitsuicide，I’msure。”
　　Jedinsistedonshakinghandswithhimagain。”You’realucky，feller，Charlie，“hedeclared。”IonlywishIhadyourchance。
　　Yes，you’relucky——inagoodmanyways，“withaglanceatMaud。
　　“And，speakingofUncleSam，“headded，“remindsmeof——well，of，DaddySam。How’shebehavin’thismornin’？，Ijudgefromthefact，thatyoutwoaretogetherhe’salittlemorerationalthanhewas，lastnight……Eh？”
　　Phillipslookedpuzzled，butMaudevidentlyunderstood。”Daddyhas，beenveryniceto-day，“shesaid，demurely。”Charliehadalong，talkwithhimand——and——“
　　“Andhewasmightyfine，“declaredPhillipswithemphasis。”Wehad，ahearttohearttalkandIheldnothingback。Itellyou，Jed，it，didmegoodtospeakthetruth，wholeandnothingbut。Itold，CaptainHunniwellthatIdidn’tdeservehisdaughter。Heagreed，withmethere，ofcourse。”
　　“Nonsense！”interruptedMaud，withahappylaugh。
　　“Notabitofnonsense。Weagreedthatnoonewasgoodenoughfor，you。ButItoldhimIwantedthatdaughterverymuchindeedand，providedshewasagreeableandwaswillingtowaituntilthewar，wasoverandIcameback;takingitforgranted，ofcourse，thatI——“
　　Hehesitated，bithislipandlookedapprehensivelyatMiss，Hunniwell。Jedobliginglyhelpedhimoverthethinice。
　　“Providedyoucomebackamajorgeneralor——oracommodoreora，corporal’sguardorsomethin’，“heobserved。
　　“Yes，“gratefully，“that’sit。I’msuretobeahighprivateat，least。Well，tocutitshort，Jed，ItoldCaptainHunniwellallmy，pastandmyhopesandplansforthefuture。Hewasforgivingand，forbearingandkinderthanIhadanyrighttoexpect。We，understandeachothernowandheiswilling，alwaysprovidedthat，Maudiswilling，too，togivememyopportunitytomakegood。That，isallanyonecouldask。”
　　“Yes，Ishouldsay’twas……ButMaud，howabouther？，Youhad，consider’bleofajobmakin’herseethatyouwasworthwaitin’
　　for，Ipresumelikely，eh？”
　　Maudlaughedandblushedandbadehimbehavehimself。Jeddemanded，tobetoldmoreparticularsconcerningtheenlisting。SoCharles，toldthestoryofhisBostontrip，whileMaudlookedandlistened，adoringly，andJed，watchingtheyoungpeople’shappiness，was，for，thetime，almosthappyhimself。
　　WhentheyrosetogoCharlielaidahandonJed’sshoulder。
　　“Ican’ttellyou，“hesaid，“whatabrickyou’vebeenthroughall，this。Ifithadn’tbeenforyou，oldman，Idon’tknowhowit，mighthaveended。Weoweyouabouteverything，MaudandI。You’ve，beenawonder，Jed。”
　　Jedwavedadeprecatinghand。”Don’ttalkso，Charlie，“hesaid，gruffly。
　　“But，Itellyou，I——“
　　“Don’t……Yousee，“withatwistofthelip，“itdon’tdoto，tella——ascreechowlhe’sacanary。He’sliabletobelieveitby，andbyandstartsingin’inpublic……Thenhefindsouthe’s，justafoolowl，andhasbeenallalong。Humph！，Meawonder！……
　　Ablunder，youmean。”
　　Neitheroftheyoungpeoplehadeverheardhimusethattonebefore。
　　Theybothcriedoutinprotest。
　　“Lookhere，Jed——“beganPhillips。
　　Maudinterrupted。”Justamoment，Charlie，“shesaid。”Letme，tellhimwhatFathersaidlastnight。Whenhewentoutheleftme，cryingandsomiserablethatIwantedtodie。Hehadfound，Charlie’sletterandwe——wehadhadadreadfulsceneandhehad，spokentomeasIhadneverheardhimspeakbefore。And，later，afterhecamebackIwasalmostafraidtohavehimcomeintothe，roomwhereIwas。Buthewasjustasdifferentascouldbe。He，toldmehehadbeenthinkingthematteroverandhaddecidedthat，perhaps，hehadbeenunreasonableandsillyandcross。Thenhe，saidsomenicethingsaboutCharlie，quitedifferentfromwhathe，saidatfirst。AndwhenwehadmadeitallupandIaskedhimwhat，hadchangedhismindsohetoldmeitwasyou，Jed。Hesaidhe，cametoyouandyouputafleainhisear。Hewouldn’ttellme，whathemeant，buthesimplysmiledandsaidyouhadputafleain，hisear。”
　　Jed，himself，couldnothelpsmilingfaintly。
　　“W-e-e-ll，“hedrawled，“Ididn’tuseanysweetileonthejob，that’ssartin。IfhesaidIpoundeditinwithaclub’twouldn’t，havebeenmuchexaggeration。”
　　“Soweoweyouthat，too，“continuedMaud。”And，afterwards，when，DaddyandIweretalkingweagreedthatyouwereprobablythebest，maninOrham。There！”
　　Andshestoopedimpulsivelyandkissedhim。
　　Jed，verymuchembarrassed，shookhishead。”That——er——insectI
　　putinyourpa’searmusthavetouchedbothyourbrains，I
　　cal’late，“hedrawled。Buthewaspleased，nevertheless。Ifhe，wasafoolitwassomethingtohavepeoplethinkhimagoodsortof，fool。
　　Itwasalmostfouro’clockwhenJed’snextvisitorcame。Hewas，theonemanwhomhemostdreadedtomeetjustthen。Yethehidhis，feelingsandrosewithhandoutstretched。
　　“Why，goodafternoon，Major！”heexclaimed。”Realgladtoseeyou。
　　Sitdown。”
　　Groversat。”Jed，“hesaid，“Ruthtellsmethatyouknowofmy，goodfortune。Willyoucongratulateme？”
　　Jed’sreplywascalmanddeliberateandhedidhisbesttomakeit，soundwhole-heartedandsincere。
　　“Isartindo，“hedeclared。”Anybodythatwouldn’tcongratulate，youonthatcouldswaphisheadforabilliardballandmakemoney，onthedicker;theivoryhe’dgetwouldbebetterthanthebonehe，gaveaway……Yes，MajorGrover，you’realuckyman。”
　　Tosavehislifehecouldnotentirelykeeptheshakefromhis，voiceashesaidit。IfGrovernoticeditheputitdowntothe，sincerityofthespeaker。
　　“Thankyou，“hesaid。”Irealizemyluck，Iassureyou。Andnow，Jed，firstofall，letmethankyou。Ruthhastoldmewhataloyal，friendandcounseloryouhavebeentoherandsheandIbothare，very，verygrateful。”
　　Jedstirreduneasily。”Sho，sho！”heprotested。”Ihaven’tdone，anything。Don’ttalkaboutit，please。I——I’dratheryou，wouldn’t。”
　　“Verywell，sinceyouwishit，Iwon’t。ButsheandIwillalways，thinkofit，youmaybesureofthat。Idroppedinherenowjust，totellyouthisandtothankyoupersonally。AndIwantedtotell，you，too，thatIthinkweneednotfearBabbitt’stalkingtoomuch。
　　Ofcourseitwouldnotmakesomuchdifferencenowifhedid;
　　Charliewillbeawayanddoingwhatalldecentpeoplewillrespect，himfordoing，andyouandIcanseethatRuthdoesnotsuffer。
　　ButIthinkBabbittwillkeepstill。IhopeIhavefrightenedhim;
　　Icertainlydidmybest。”
　　Jedrubbedhischin。
　　“I’mkindofsorryforPhin，“heobserved。
　　“Areyou？，Forheaven’ssake，why？”
　　“Oh，Idon’tknow。Whenyou’vebeengoin’aroundeversince，Januaryloadeduptothemuzzlewithspiteandsure-thing，vengeance，sameasanold-fashionedhorsepistolusedtobeloaded，withpowderandball，itmustbekindofhard，justasyou’reset，topulltrigger，tohavetoquitandswallerthewholecharge。
　　Liabletogiveyoudyspepsy，ifnothin’worse，Ishouldsay。”
　　Groversmiled。”ThelasttimeIsawBabbittheappearedtobe，nearerapoplexythandyspepsia，“hesaid。
　　“Ye-es。Well，I’msorryforhim，Ireallyam。Itmustbepretty，dreadfultobesocross-grainedthatyoucan’tlikeevenyourown，selfwithoutfeelin’lonesome……Yes，that’sabadstateof，affairs……Idon’tknowbutI’dalmostratherbe’towncrank’
　　thanthat。”
　　TheMajor’sfarewellremark，madeasherosetogo，containedan，elementofmystery。
　　“Ishallhaveanothermattertotalkoverwithyousoon，Jed，“he，said。”Butthatwillcomelater，whenmyplansaremorecomplete。
　　Goodafternoonandthankyouoncemore。You’vebeenprettyfine，throughallthissecret-keepingbusiness，ifyoudon’tmindmy，sayingso。Andamightytruefriend。Sotrue，“headded，“thatI
　　shall，inallprobability，askyoutoassumeanothertrustforme，beforelong。Ican’tthinkofanyoneelsetowhomIcouldso，safelyleaveit。Good-by。”
　　Onemorevisitorcamethatafternoon。Tobeexact，hedidnotcome，untilevening。Heopenedtheouterdoorverysoftlyandtiptoed，intotheliving-room。Jedwassittingbythelittle“gasburner“
　　stove，onekneedrawnupandhisfootswinging。Therewasa，saucepanperchedontopofthestove。Asmallhandlamponthe，tablefurnishedtheonlylight。Hedidnothearthepersonwho，enteredandwhenabighandwaslaiduponhisshoulderhestarted，violently。
　　“Eh？”heexclaimed，hisfootfallingwithathumptothefloor。
　　“Who？……Oh，it’syou，ain’tit，Sam？……Goodland，you，mademejump！，Imustbegettin’nervous，Iguess。”
　　CaptainSamlookedathiminsomesurprise。”Graciousking，I
　　believeyouare，“heobserved。”Ididn’tthinkyouhadanynerves，Jed。No，noranytemper，either，untillastnight。Youpretty，nighblewmeoutofwaterthen。Ho，ho！”
　　Jedwasmuchdistressed。”Sho，sho，Sam，“hestammered;“I’mawful，sorryaboutthat。I——Iwasn’tfeelin’exactly——er——firstrateorI
　　wouldn’thavetalkedtoyouthatway。I——I——youknowIdidn’tmean，it，don’tyou，Sam？”
　　Thecaptainpulledforwardachairandsatdown。Hechuckled。
　　“Well，Imustsayitdidsoundasifyoumeantit，Jed，“he，declared。”Yes，sir，Ical’latetheaveragepersonwouldhavebeen，willin’toriskasmallbet——sayacoupleofmillion——thatyou，meantit。WhenyouorderedmetogohomeIjusttuckedmytail，downandwent。Yes，sir，ifyoudidn’tmeanityouhadMEfooled。
　　Ho，ho！”
　　Jed’sdistresswaskeenerthanever。”Mercysakesalive！”he，cried。”DidItellyoutogohome，Sam？，Yes，yes，IrememberI
　　did。Sho，sho！……Well，I’mawfulsorry。Ihopeyou’ll，forgiveme。’Twan’tanywayforafellerlikemetotalk——toyou。”
　　CaptainSam’sbighandfelluponhisfriend’skneewithastinging，slap。”You’rewrongthere，Jed，“hedeclared，withemphasis。
　　“’Twasjustthewayforyoutotalktome。Ineededit;and，“with，anotherchuckle，“Igotit，too，didn’tI？，Ho，ho！”
　　“Sam，Isnum，I——“
　　“Sshh！，You’regoin’tosayyou’resorryagain;Icanseeitin，youreye。Well，don’tyoudoit。Youtoldmetogohomeand，think，Jed，andthosewerejusttheordersIneeded。Ididgohome，andIdidthink……Humph！，Thinkin’sakindofupsettin’job，sometimes，ain’tit，especiallywhenyousitrightdownandthink，aboutyourself，whatyouarecomparedtowhatyouthinkyouare。
　　Everthinkaboutyourselfthatway，Jed？”
　　ItwasamomentbeforeJedanswered。Thenallhesaidwas，“Yes。”
　　“Imeanhaveyoudoneitlately？，Justgivenyourselfrightupto，doin’it？”
　　Jedsighed。”Ye-es，“hedrawled。”Ishouldn’twonderifIhad，Sam。”
　　“Well，probably’twan’tasdisturbin’ajobwithyouas’twasfor，me。Youdidn’thaveashighahorsetoclimbdownoffof。I
　　thoughtandthoughtandthoughtandthemoreIthoughtthemeaner，thewayI’dactedandtalkedtoMaudseemedtome。Iliked，Charlie;I’dgonearoundthiscountyformonthsbraggin’aboutwhat，asmart，ablechaphewas。AsItoldyouonceI’dratherhavehad，hermarryhimthananybodyelseIknow。AndIhadtogiveinthat，thewayhe’dbehaved——hisgoin’offandenlistin’，settlin’that，beforeheaskedherorspoketome，wasasquare，manlythingto，do。TheonlythingIhadagainsthimwasthatMiddlefordmess。
　　AndIbelievehe’saGOODboyinspiteofit。”
　　“Heis，Sam。ThatMiddlefordtroublewan’tallhisfault，byany，means！”
　　“Iknow。Hetoldmethismornin’。Well，then，ifheandMaudlove，eachother，thinksI，whatrighthaveItosaytheyshan’tbe，happy，especiallyasthey’rebothwillin’towait？，WhyshouldI
　　sayhecan’tatleasthavehischancetomakegood？，Nigh’sIcould，makeouttheonlyreasonwasmyprideandthebigplansI’dmade，formygirl。Icameoutofmythinkin’spellwithmymindmadeup，thatwhatailedmewasselfishnessandpride。SoItalkeditover，withherlastnightandwithCharlieto-day。Theboyshallhave，hischance。Bothof’emshallhavetheirchance，Jed。They’re，happyand——well，Ifeelconsider’blebettermyself。Allelsethere，istodoistojusthopetotheLorditturnsoutright。”
　　“That’saboutall，Sam。AndIfeelprettysureit’sgoin’to。”
　　“Yes，Iknowyoudo。CoursethosebigplansofminethatIusedto，make——hermarryin’somerichchap，governororsenatoror，somethin’——they’reallgoneoverboard。Iusedtowishandwishfor，her，likeayoung-onewishin’onaloadofhay，orthefirststar，atnight，orsomethin’。Butifwecan’thaveourwishes，why——why——
　　thenwe’lldowithout’em。Eh？”
　　Jedrubbedhischin。”Sam，“hesaid，“I’vebeendoin’alittle，thinkin’myself……Ye-es，consider’blethinkin’……Fact，is，seemsnowasifIhadn’tdoneanythingBUTthinksincethe，worldwascrankedupandstartedturnin’over。AndIguessthere’s，onlyoneanswer。Whenwecan’thaveourwishesthenit’suptous，to——to——“
　　“Well，towhat？”
　　“Why，tosticktoourjobsandgrin，that’saboutall。’Tain’t，much，Iknow，especiallyjobslikesomeofushave，butit’s，somethin’。”
　　CaptainSamnodded。”It’sagooddeal，Jed，“hedeclared。”It’s，somestunttogrin——inthesedays。”
　　Jedroseslowlytohisfeet。Hethrewbackhisshoulderswiththe，gestureofonedeterminedtoridhimselfofaburden。
　　“Itis——itisso，Sam，“hedrawled。”Butmaybethatmakesita，littlemoreworthwhile。Whatdoyouthink？”
　　Hisfriendregardedhimthoughtfully。”Jed，“hesaid，“Ineversaw，anybodywhohadthefacultyofseein’straightthroughtothe，commonsenseinsideofthingsthewayyouhave。MaudandIwere，talkin’aboutthatlastnight。’GohomeandthinkandthankGod，’
　　yousaidtome。AndthatwaswhatIneededtodo。’Enlistand，you’llbeindependent，’yousaidtoCharlieanditsethimonthe，road。’Sticktoyourjobandgrin，’yousaynow。Howdoyoudo，it，Jed？，RememberonetimeItoldyouIcouldn’tdecidewhether，youwasadumfooloraKingSolomon？，Iknownow。Ofthetwoof，usI’mnighertobein’thedumfool;and，bythegraciousking，you，AREaKingSolomon。”
　　Jedslowlyshookhishead。”Sam，“hesaid，sadly，“ifyouknew，whatIknowaboutmeyou’d……butthere，you’retalkin’wild。I
　　wascal’latin’tohaveacupofteaandyou’dbetterhaveone，too。
　　I’mheatin’somewaterontopofthestovenow。Itmustbeabout，ready。”
　　Heliftedthesaucepanfromthetopofthe“gasburner“andtested，thewaterwithhisfinger。
　　“Hum，“hemused，“it’sstonecold。Ican’tseewhyithasn’thet，faster。Ilaidanicefreshfire，too。”
　　Heopenedthestovedoorandlookedin。
　　“Hum……”hesaid，again。”Yes，yes……Ilaiditbut，I——er——
　　hum……Iforgottolightit，that’sall。Well，thatprovesI’m，KingSolomonforsartin。Probablyhedidthingslikethatevery，dayorso……Givemeamatch，willyou，Sam？”
　　CHAPTERXXII
　　IthadbeenachillmorninginearlyspringwhenCharliePhillips，wenttoBostontoenlist。NowitwasabalmyeveninginAugustand，Jedsatuponabenchbyhiskitchendoorlookingouttosea。The，breezewaslight，barelysufficienttoturnthesailsofthelittle，mills，againsothicklysprinkledaboutthefrontyard，ortocause，thewoodensailorstoswingtheirpaddles。TheAugustmoonwas，risinggloriouslybehindthesilverbarofthehorizon。Fromthe，beachbelowthebluffcamethelightlaughterofagroupofsummer，youngfolk，strollingfromthehoteltothepost-officebythe，shoreroute。
　　Babbie，whohadreceivedpermissiontositupandseethemoon，rise，wasperchedupontheotherendofthebench，Petuniainher，arms。Adistantdrone，whichhadbeenaudibleforsometime，was，graduallybecomingasteadyhummingroar。Afewmomentslaterand，abelatedhydro-aeroplanepassedacrossthefaceofthemoon，a，dragon-flysilhouetteagainsttheshiningdisk。
　　“Thatbumble-bee’sgettin’homelate，“observedJed。”Therestof，thehiveupthereatEastHarnisshavegonetoroosttwoorthree，hoursago。Wonderwhatkepthimoutthisscandaloushour。Had，tiretrouble，think？”
　　Barbaralaughed。
　　“You’rejokingagain，UncleJed，“shesaid。”Thatkindof，aeroplanecouldn’thaveanytiretrouble，’causeithasn’tgotany，tires。”
　　Mr。Winslowappearedtoreflect。”That’sso，“headmitted，“butI
　　don’tknowaswe’doughttocounttoomuchonthat。Iremember，whenGabeBearsehadbrainfever。”
　　ThiswasalittledeepforBabbie，whoselaughwassomewhat，uncertain。Shechangedthesubject。
　　“Oh！”shecried，withawiggle，“there’sacaterpillarrighthere，onthisbenchwithus，UncleJed。He’safuzzyone，too;Icansee，thefuzz;themoonmakesitshiny。”
　　Jedbentovertolook。”That？”hesaid。”Thatlittle，tinyone？
　　Landsakes，heain’tbigenoughtobemorethanakitten-pillar。
　　Youain’tafraidofhim，areyou？”
　　“No-o。No，IguessI’mnot。ButIshouldn’tliketohavehimwalk，onme。He’dbeso——soticklesome。”
　　Jedbrushedthecaterpillaroffintothegrass。
　　“Therehegoes，“hesaid。”I’vegottoliveuptomyjobas，guardian，Iexpect。LastletterIhadfromyourpahesaidhe，countedonmylookin’outforyouandyourmamma。IfhethoughtI
　　letticklesomekitten-pillarscomewalkin’onyouhewouldn’t，cal’lateIamountedtomuch。”
　　Forthiswasthe“trust“towhichMajorGroverhadreferredinhis，conversationwithJed。Laterheexplainedhismeaning。Hewas，expectingsoontobecalledtoactiveservice“overthere。”，Before，hewentheandRuthweretobemarried。
　　“MywifeandBarbarawillstayhereintheoldhouse，Jed，“he，said，“ifyouarewilling。AndIshallleavetheminyourcharge。
　　It’sabigtrust，forthey’reprettypreciousarticles，butthey’ll，besafewithyou。”
　　Jedlookedathimaghast。”Goodlandoflove！”hecried。”You，don’tmeanit？”
　　“OfcourseImeanit。Don’tlooksofrightened，man。It’sjust，whatyou’vebeendoingeversincetheycamehere，that’sall。Ruth，saysshehasbeengoingtoyouforadvicesincethebeginning。I
　　justwanthertokeepondoingit。”
　　“But——but，mysoul，I——Iain’tfittobeanybody’sguardian……
　　I——Ioughttohavesomebodyguardin’me。Anybody’lltellyou，that……Besides，I——Idon’tthink——“
　　“Yes，youdo;andyougenerallythinkright。Oh，come，don’ttalk，anymoreaboutit。It’sabargain，ofcourse。Andifthere’s，anythingIcandoforyouontheotherside，I’llbeonlytoohappy，tooblige。”
　　Jedrubbedhischin。”W-e-e-ll，“hedrawled，“there’sonetriflin’
　　thingI’vebeenhankerin’todomyself，butIcan’t，I’mafraid。
　　Maybeyoucandoitforme。”
　　“Allright，whatisthetriflingthing？”
　　“Eh？……Oh，that——er——CrownPrincething。Dohimbrown，if，yougetachance，willyou？”
　　Ofcourse，theguardianshipwas，inasense，ajoke，butinanother，itwasnot。JedknewthatLeonardGrover’sleavinghiswifeand，Babbieinhischargewas，toacertainextent，aserioustrust。
　　Andheaccepteditassuch。
　　“Hasyourmammahadanylettersfromthemajorthelastdayorso？”
　　heinquired。
　　Babbieshookherhead。”No，“shesaid，“butshe’sexpectingone，everyday。AndPetuniaandIexpectone，too，andwe’rejustas，excitedaboutitaswecanbe。Aletterlikethatismostpar-
　　particklesomeexciting……No，Idon’tmeanparticklesome——it，wasthecaterpillarmademethinkofthat。Imeanpartickle-ar，exciting。Don’tyouthinkitis，UncleJed？”
　　CaptainSamHunniwellcamestrollingaroundthecorneroftheshop。
　　Jedgreetedhimwarmlyandurgedhimtositdown。Thecaptain，declined。
　　“Can’tstop，“hedeclared。”There’saletterforMaudfromCharlie，into-night’smailandIwanttotakeithometoher。Letterslike，thatcan’tbeheldupontheway，youknow。”
　　CharliePhillips，too，wasinFrancewithhisregiment。
　　“Ipresumelikelyyou’veheardthenewsfromLeanderBabbitt，Jed？”
　　askedCaptainSam。
　　“Abouthisbein’wounded？，Yes，Gabflappedinattheshopthis，afternoontocawoverit。Saidthetelegramhadjustcometo，Phineas。Iwashopin’’twasn’tso，butEriHedgesaidheheardit，too……Serious，isit，Sam？”
　　“Theydon’tsay，butIshouldn’twonder。Theboywashitbya，shellsplinterwhiledoin’hisdutywithexceptionalbravery，so，thetelegramsaid。’TwasfromWashin’ton，ofcourse。Andthere，wassomethin’initabouthisbein’recommendedforoneofthose，warcrosses。”
　　Jedsatupstraightonthebench。”Youdon’tmeanit！”hecried。
　　“Well，well，well！，Ain’tthatsplendid！，Iknewhe’ddoit，too。
　　’Twasinhim。Sam，“headded，solemnly，“didItellyouIgota，letterfromhimlastweek？”
　　“FromLeander？”
　　“Yes……AndbeforeIgotithemusthavebeenwounded……
　　Yes，sir，beforeIgothisletter……’Twasagoodletter，Sam，amightygoodletter。SometimeI’llreadittoyou。Nota，complaintinit，justcheerfulness，youknow，and——andgritand，confidence，butnobrag。”
　　“Isee。Well，Charliewritesthesameway。”
　　“Ye-es。Theyalldo，prettymuch。Well，howaboutPhineas？，How，doestheoldfellertakethenews？，Haveyouheard？”
　　“Why，yes，I’veheard。OfcourseIhaven’ttalkedwithhim。He’d，nomorespeaktomethanhewouldtotheEvilOne。”
　　Jed’sliptwitched。”Why，probablynotquitesoquick，Sam，“he，drawled。”PhinoughttobeonprettygoodtermswiththeOld，Scratch。I’veheardhimrecommendagoodmanyfolkstogotohim。”
　　“Ho，ho！，Yes，that’sso。Well，JimBaileytoldmethatwhenPhin，hadreadthetelegramheneversaidaword。Justgotupandwalked，intohisbackshop。ButJerryBurgesssaidthat，lateron，atthe，post-officesomebodysaidsomethin’abouthowLeandermustbea，mightygoodfightertoberecommendedforthatcross，andPhineas，wasopenin’hismailboxandheard’em。JerrysaysoldPhinturned，andsnappedoutoverhisshoulder：’Whynot？，He’smyson，ain’t，he？’，Sothereyouare。Maybethat’spride，orcussedness，or，both。Anyhow，it’sPhinBabbitt。”
　　Asthecaptainwasturningtogoheaskedhisfriendaquestion。
　　“Jed，“heasked，“whatintheworldhaveyoutakenyourfrontgate，offthehingesfor？”
　　Jed，whohadbeengazingdreamilyouttoseaforthepastfew，minutes，startedandcametolife。
　　“Eh？”hequeried。”Did——didyouspeak，Sam？”
　　“Yes，butyouhaven’tyet。Iaskedyouwhatyoutookyourfront，gateoffthehingesfor。”
　　“Oh，Ididn’t。Itookthehingesoffthegate。”
　　“Well，itamountstothesamething。Thegate’sstandin’up，alongsidethefence。Whatdidyoudoitfor？”
　　Jedsighed。”Itsqueakedliketime，“hedrawled，“andIhadto，stopit。”
　　“Soyoutookthehingesoff？，Graciousking！，Whydidn’tyouile，’emsotheywouldn’tsqueak？”
　　“Eh？……Oh，Ididsetoutto，butIcouldn’tfindtheilecan。
　　TheonlythingIcouldfindwasthescrewdriverandatlastIcame，totheconclusiontheAlmightymusthavemeantmetouseit;soI
　　did。Anyhow，itstoppedthesqueakin’。”
　　CaptainSamroareddelightedly。”That’sfine，“hedeclared。”It，doesmegoodtohaveyouactthatway。Youhaven’tdoneanything，socrazyasthatforthelastsixmonths。IbelievetheoldJed，Winslow’scomebackagain。That’sfine。”
　　Jedsmiledhisslowsmile。”I’mstickin’tomyjob，Sam，“hesaid。
　　“Andgrinnin’。Don’tforgettogrin，Jed。”
　　“W-e-e-ll，whenIsticktoMYjob，Sam，’mosteverybodygrins。”
　　Babbieaccompaniedthecaptaintotheplacewherethegatehad，been。Jed，leftalone，hummedahymn。Thedoorofthelittle，housenextdooropenedandRuthcameoutintotheyard。
　　“WhereisBabbie？”sheasked。
　　“She’sjustgoneasfarasthesidewalkwithCap’nSamHunniwell，“
　　wasJed’sreply。”She’sallright。Don’tworryabouther。”
　　Ruthlaughedlightly。”Idon’t，“shesaid。”Iknowsheisall，rightwhensheiswithyou，Jed。”
　　Babbiecamedancingback。Somewhereinadistantpartofthe，villageadogwashowlingdismally。
　　“Whatmakesthatdogbarkthatway，UncleJed？”askedBabbie。
　　JedwaswatchingRuth，whohadwalkedtotheedgeofthebluffand，waslookingoffoverthewater，herdelicatefaceandslender，figuresilver-edgedbythemoonlight。
　　“Eh？……Thatdog？”herepeated。”Oh，he’sbarkin’atthemoon，Ishouldn’twonder。”
　　“Atthemoon？，Whydoeshebarkatthemoon？”
　　“Oh，hethinkshewantsit，Ical’late。Wantsittoeatorplay，withorsomethin’。Dogsgetfunnynotions，sometimes。”
　　Babbielaughed。”I，thinkhe’sawf’lysilly，“shesaid。”He，couldn’thavethemoon，youknow，couldhe？，Themoonwasn’tmade，foradog。”
　　Jed，stillgazingatRuth，drewalongbreath。
　　“That’sright，“headmitted。
　　Thechildlistenedtothelugubriouscaninewailsforamoment;
　　thenshesaidthoughtfully：“Ifeelkindofsorryforthispoor，dog，though。Hesoundsasifhewantedthemoonjustdreadf’ly。”
　　“Um……yes……Ipresumelikelyhethinkshedoes。Buthe’ll，feelbetteraboutitbyandby。He’llrealizethat，sameasyou，say，themoonwasn’tmadeforadog。Justassoonashecomesto，thatconclusion，he’llbeawholelotbetterdog……Yes，anda，happierone，too，“headded，slowly。
　　BarbaradidnotspeakatonceandJedbegantowhistleadoleful，melody。Thentheformerdeclared，withemphasis：“IthinkSOME
　　dogsareawf’lynice。”
　　“Um？……What？……Oh，youdo，eh？”
　　Shesnuggledclosetohimonthebench。
　　“Ithinkyou’reawf’lynice，too，UncleJed，“sheconfided。
　　Jedlookeddownatheroverhisspectacles。
　　“Sho！……Bow，wow！”heobserved。
　　Babbieburstoutlaughing。Ruthturnedandcametowardthemover，thedew-sprinkledgrass。
　　“Whatareyoulaughingat，dear？”sheasked。
　　“Oh，UncleJedwassofunny。Hewasbarkinglikeadog。”
　　Ruthsmiled。”Perhapshefeelsasifhewereourwatchdog，Babbie，“shesaid。”Heguardsusasifhewere。”
　　Babbiehuggedherback-step-uncle’scoatsleeve。
　　“He’sagreat，big，niceoldwatchdog，“shedeclared。”Welove，him，don’twe，Mamma？”
　　Jedturnedhisheadtolisten。
　　“Hum……”hedrawled。”Thatdoguptownhasstoppedhishowlin’。
　　Perhapshe’sbeginnin’torealizewhataluckycritterheis。”
　　Asusual，Babbiewasreadywithaquestion。
　　“Whyishelucky，UncleJed？”sheasked。
　　“Why？，Oh，well，he……hecanLOOKatthemoon，andthat’s，enoughtomakeanydogthankful。”
　　End