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Show caught my eye was a big silver watch hanging by a long golden chain to one of the boughs. Uncle Peabody took It down and held It aloft by the chain, so that none should miss the sight, say- ing: A JALE OF THE NORTH COUNTRY IN THE TIME OF SILAS WIGHT IR.VINB BACHELLE- R- Author op AND I, DARREL OF THE BLESSED IV KEEPINO UP WITH LIZZIE. ETC, ETC UEN HOLDEN, D'RI corvuoiir CHAPTER XI J Continued. I count this one of the great events of my youth. But there was a greater one, although It seemed not so at the time of It A traveler on the road to Bnllybeen had dropped his pocketbook containing a large umount of money $2,700 was the sum, If I remember rightly. He was a man who. being justly suspicious of the banks, had withdrnwn his money. Posters the loss and the offer of a large reward. The village was profoundly stirred by them. Searching parties went up the road stirring Its dust and groping in Its grass and bribers for the great prize which was supposed to be lying there. It was said, however, that the quest had been unsuccessful. So the lost pocketbook became a treasured mystery of the s village and of all the hills and toward Ballybeen a topic of old iWlves and gabbling husbands at the preside for unnumbered years. By and by the fall .term of school ended. Uncle Peabody came down to 'get me the day before Christmas. I lmd enjoyed my work and my life at jthe Hackets, on the whole, but I was glad to be oing home again. My junele was in high spirits and there ,were many packages in the sleigh. A merry Christmas to ye both an may the Lord love ye! said Mr. Hacket as he bade us goodby. Every day our thoughts will be going up the hills to your house." The bells rang merrily as we hurtled through the swamp. in the hard snow paths. Were goln to move," said my uncle presently. Weve agreed to get out by the middle o May. How does that hnppeu? I asked. I settled with Grimshaw and agreed to go. If it hadnt a been for Wright and Baldwin we wouldnt a got a ceht. They threatened to bid against him at the sale. So he settled. Were goin to have a new home. Weve bought a hundred an fifty acres from Goin to build a new jAbe Leonard. house in the spring. It will be nearer ,the village. He playfully nudged my ribs with ihis elbow. Weve had a little good luck, Bart," he went on. Ill tell ye what it Is If jyou wont say anything about It." I promised. I dunno ns It would matter much," W continued, but I dont want to do any braggin. It aint anybodys business, anyway. An old uncle over in Vermont died three weeks ago and hundred dollars. left us thirty-eigh- t It was old Uncle Ezra Baynes o Died without a chick or Hinesburg. child. Your aunt and me slipped down to Potsdam an took the stage an went over an got the money. It was more money than I ever see before in my life. We put it in the bank in Potsdam to keep it out o Grimshaws bands. I wouldnt trust that man as fur as you could throw a bull by the itail." It was a cold, clear night, and when We reached home the new stove was snapping with the heat In its firebox and the pudding puffing In the pot and old Shep dreaming in the chimney corner. Aunt Peel cave me a hug at the door. Shop harked and leaped to my shofilders. Why. Bart! Youre growin like a weed aint ye? aves ye be," my aunt said as she stood and looked at me. Set right down here an wnrm ye ayes! Ive done all the chores ayes t How wnrm and comfortable was the dear old room with those beloved fnees In it. I wonder If pnrndlse itself cnn seem more plensnnt to me. I have had the best food this world con provide, in my time, but never anything that I ate with a keener' relish than the pudding and milk and bread and butter and ebeese and pumpkin pie which Aunt Deel gave us that night Supper over, I wiped the dishes for my aunt while Uncle Peabody went out to feed and water the horses. Then we sat down In the geninl warmth while I told the story of my life In the busy town, ns they called it What pride and attention they gave me then I My fine clothes and the story of how I bad come by them taxed my ingenuity somewhat, although not improperly. I had to be enreful not to let t hem know that-hnd been ashamed f ' ihe homemade suit. They somehow felt tiie truth about it and a little silence followed the story. Then Aunt vnl-,ley- , MMROHUIVWRBR ttVWO WCMBia drew her chair near me and touched my hair very gently and looked into my face without speaking. Ayes I I know, she said presently, in a kind of caressing tone, with a touch of sadness In It. They aint used to coarse homespun stuff down there in the village. They made fun o ye didnt they, Bart?" I dont care about that, I assured them. The minds the measure of I quoted, remembering the the man, lines the Senator had repeated to me. Thats sound! Uncle Peabody exclaimed with enthusiasm. Aunt Deel took my hand In hers and surveyed it thoughtfully for a moment without speaking. You aint goin to have to suffer that way no more, she said in a low tone. Were goin to be more comfta-bl- e ayes. Yer uncle thought we better go West, but 1 couldnt bear to go off so fur an leave mother an father an sister Susan an all the folks we loved layin here in the ground alone I want to lay down with em by an by an wait for the sound o the trumpet ayes! mebbe itll be for thousands o years ayes! To our astonishment the clock struck twelve. Hurrah! Its merry Christmas! said Uncle Peabody as he jumped to his feet and began to sing of the little Deel 12 ; F Lord Jesus. We Joined him while he stood beating time with his right hand after the fashion of a singing master. .Off with yer boots, friend!" he ex- claimed when the stanza was finished. We dont have to set up and watch like the shepherds. . We drew our boots on the chair round with hands clasped over the knee how familiar is the process, and yet I havent seen it in more than half a century! I lighted a candle and scampered upstairs in my stocking feet, Uncle Peabody following close and slapping my thigh as if my pace were not fast enough for him. In the midst of our skylarking the candle tumbled to the floor and I had to go back to the stove and relight it How good it seemed to be back in the old room under the shingles ! The beat of the stovepipe bad warmed its hospitality. Its been kind o lonesome here, said Uncle Peabody as he opened the window. I always let the wind come In to keep me company It gits so warm. 1'e cant look at yer stockin ylt, said Aunt Deel when I came downstairs about eight oclock, having slept through chore time. I remember it was the delicious aroma of frying flam and buckwheat cakes which awoke me ; and who wouldnt rise and shake off the cloak of slumber on a bright, cold winter morning with such provocation? "This ain't no common Chrismas I tell ye, Aunt Deel went on. Santa Claus wont git here short o noon I ouldut wouder ayes ! About eleven oclock Uncle Hiram and Aunt Eliza and their five children arrived with loud and merry greetings. Then came other aunts and uncles and cousins. With what noisy good cheer (he men entered the house after they had put up their horses! I remember how they laid their hard, heavy hands ou my head and shook it a little as they spoke of my stretcliln up or gave me a playful slap on the shoulder an ancient token of good will the first form of the accolade, I fancy. What joyful good humor there was in those simple men and women enough to temper the woes of a city If it could have been applied to their relief. They stood thick around the stove warming themselves and taking off its griddles end opening Its doors and surveying It Inside and out with much curiosity. Now for the Christmas tree, said Uncle Peabody ns he led the way into our best room, where a fire was burnCome ing in the old Franklin grate. , , on. boys an girls. What a wonderful sight was the Chrlstmns tree the first wt had hnd in our house a fine spreading balsam loaded with presents! Uncle Hiram Jumped into the air and clapped his feet together and shouted: Hold me, somebody, or Ill grab the hull tree nn run away with It. Uncle .Tnbez held one foot In both hands before him and joyfully hopped around the tree. These relatives had brought their family gifts, some days before, to be him on Its branches. The thing that v From Santa Claus for Bart I" A murmur of admiration ran through the company which gathered around me as I held the treasure in my trembling hands. This Is for Bart, too," Uncle Peabody shouted As he took down a bolt of soft blue cloth and laid It In my arms. "Now theres somethin thats jest about as slick as a kittens ear. Feel of it. Its for o suit o clothes. Come all the way from Burlington. Now get-athere.Youve got your loud. I moved out of the way In a hurricane of merriment. It was his one great day of pride and vanity. He did not try to conceal them. The other presents floated for a moment in this irresistible tide of laughing good will and found tlielr owners. I have never forgotten how Uncle z chnsed Aunt Minerva around the house with a wooden snake cunningly carved and colored. I observed there were many things on the tree which had not been taken down when we younger ones gathered up our wealth and repaired to Aunt Deels room to feast our eyes upon it and compare our good fortune. The women and the big girls rolled up their sleeves and went to work with Aunt Deel preparing the dinner. The great turkey and the chicken pie were made ready and put In the oven and the potatoes and the onions and the winter squash were soon boiling In their pots on the stovetop. Meanwhile the children were playing in my aunts bedroom and Uncle Hiram and Uncle Jabez were pulling sticks In a corner while the other men sat tipped against the wall watching and making playful comments all save my Uncle Peabody, who was trying to touch his head to the floor and then straighten up with the aid of the broomstick. In the midst of if Aunt Deel opened the front door and old Kate, the Sileut Woman, entered. To my surprise, she g . dress wore a of gray homespun cloth and a white cloud looped over her head and ears and tied around her neck and a good pair of boots. Merry Chris'masi we all shouted. She smiled and nodded her head and sat down in the chair which Uncle Peabody had placed for her at the stove side. Aunt Deel look the cloud off her head while Kate drew her mittens newly knitted of the best yarn. Then my aunt brought some stockings and a shawl from the tree and laid them on the lap of old Kate. What a silence fell upon us as we saw tears coursing down the cheeks of this lonely old woman of the countryside tears of Joy, doubtless, for God knows how long il had been since the poor, abandoned soul had seen a merry Christmas and shared its kindness. I did not fall to observe how clean her face and hands looked! She was greatly changed. She took my hand as I went to her side and tenderly caressed it. A. gentler smile came to her face than ever I hnd seen upon it. The old stern look returned for a moment as she held one finger aloft in a gesture which only I and my Aunt Deel understood. We knew it signalized n peril and a mystery. That 1 should have to meet t, srmewhere up the hidden pathway, I had no doubt whatever. Dinners ready I exclaimed the cheerful voice of Aunt Deel. Then what a stirring ot chairs and feet as we sat down at the table. Old Kate sat by the side of my aunt and wt were all surprised at her good man-rerp Ja-be- decent-lookin- We Jested and laughed and drank older and reviewed the years history and ate as only they muy eat who have big bones and muscles and the vitality of oxen. I never taste the flavor of sage and currant jelly or hear a hearty laugh without thinking of those holiday dinners In the old log house on Rattleroad. That Christmas brought mu nothing better than those words, the memory of which is one of the tallest towers In that long avenue of my past down which I have been looking these many days. About all you can do for a boy, worth while, is to give him something good to remember. The day hnd turned dark. The temperature had risen and the air was dank and chilly. The men began to hitch up their horses. 'So, one by one, the sleighloads left us with cheery good-by- s and a grinding of ntnners and a Jingling of bells. When the last had gone Uncle Peabody nnd I went into the house. Aunt Deel sat by the stove, old Kate by the window looking out at the falling dusk. How still the house seemed! Theres one thing I forgot, I sairt as I proudly took out of my wallet the nr bills which I hnd earned six by working Saturdays and handed three of them to my aunt and three to my uncle, saying: That is my Christmas present to you. I earned it myself. I remember so well their astonishment nnd the trembling of their hands and the look of their faces. Its grand ayes! Aunt Deel said In a low tone. She rose In a moment and beckoned to me and my uncle. We followed her one-do- ll - , through the open door to the other room. Ill tell ye what Id do," she whisId give em to ol Kate pered. ayes I Shes goin' to stay with us till tomorrow." Good Idee said Uncle Peabody. So I took the money out of their hands and went In and gave It to the Silent Woman. Thats your present from me," I said. How can I forget how she held my arm against her with that loving, familiar, rocking motion of a woman who Is soothing a baby at her breast and kissed my coat sleeve? She released my arm and, turning to the window, leaned her head upon its sill and shook with sobs. The dusk had thickened. As I returned to my seat by the stove I could dimly see her form against the light of the window. We sat in silence for a little while. Then Uncle Peabody rose and got a candle and lighted It nt the hearth. I held the lantern while Uncle Peabody fed the sheep and the two cows nnd milked a slight chore these win-le- t days. You and I are to go off to bed purty early, he said as we were going back to the house. Yer Aunt Deel wants to see Kate alone and git her to talk if she can. I dunno but shell swing back Into this world agin, said Uncle Peabody when we had gone up to our little room. I guess all she needs is to be treated like a human bein. Yer Aunt Deel an I couldnt git over tlilnkin o what she done for you that night In the ol barn. So 1 took some o' yer aunts good clothes to her an a pair o boots an aked her to come, to Cbrlsmas. She lives in a little room over the blacksmith shop down to Butterfields mill. I told her Id come after her with the cutter but she shook hei head. 1 knew shed rather walk." He was yawning as he spoke and scon we were both asleep under the shingles. 1017 RAISES 600 0IIICI1E1IS 1 After Being Relieved of On game Trouble by Lydia EL Pinkhams Vegetable Compound. I took Lydia E. Pink Oregon, 111. Vegetable Compound for an on ganic trouble which pulled me down until I could not put my foot to the floor and could scarcely do my work, and as I live on a small farm and raise six hundred chickens every year it made it very hard for me. I saw the advertised in pur paper, and tried has restored tny health so I can do all my work and I am so grateful that I am recommend-- , Mrs. D. M. ing it to my friends. Alters, R. R. 4, Oregon, 111. torOnlywomenwhohave suffered the tures of such troubles and have dragged along from day to day can realize the relief which this famous root and herb remedy, Lydia E. Pinkhams Vegetable Compound, brought to Mrs. Alters. Women everywhere in Mrs. Alters cbndition should profit by her recommendation, and if there are any complications write Lydia E. Pinkhams Medicine Co., Lynn, Ma!ss., for advice. The result of their 40 ydars experience b at your service. tarns Com-pou- it It CHAPTER XII. The Thing and Other Things. I returned to Mr. Hackets house late in the afternoon of New Years day. The schoolmaster was lying on a big lounge in a corner of their front room with the children about him. The dusk was falling. Welcome, my laddie buck! he exWere telling claimed as I entered. stories o the old year an youre just In time for the lost o them. Sit down, lad, and God give ye patience I Itll soon be over. After supper he got out his boxing . gloves and gave me a lesson in the art in which, I was soon of to learn, he was highly .accomplished, for we had a few rounds together every day after that. He keenly enjoyed this form of exercise and I soon began to. My capacity for taking punishment without flinching grew apace and before long I got the knack of countering and that pleased him more een than my work In school, I have sometimes thought God bless ye, boy I he exclaimed me day after I had landed heavily on ills cheek, "yeve a nice way o sneakin in with yer right Ive a notion ye may find it useful some day." I wondered a little why he should say that and. .while I was wondering he felled me with a stinging blow on my nose. Ah, my lad theres the best thing I have seen ye do get up an come back with no mad in ye, he said as he gave me his hand. One day the schoolmaster called the older boys to the front seats In his room and I among them. Now, boys, Im going to ask ye what ye Want to do In the world," he said. Dont be afraid to tell me what ye may never have told before and Ill do what I can to help ye. For some months I hnd been studying a book just published, entitled, " and had Stenographic learned its alphabet and practiced the use of it. That evening I took down the remarks of Mr. Hacket In sound-hanself-defens- e, Sound-Hand,- d. The academy chapel was crowded with the older boys and girls and the tcwnfolk. The master never clipped his words in school as he was wont to do when talking familiarly with the children. Since the leaves fell our little village has occupied the center of the stage before on audience of millions In the great theater of congress. Our leading citizen the chief actor has been crowned with Immortal fame. We who watched the play were thrilled b the query: Will Uncle Sam yield to temptation or ding to honor? He has chosen the latter course nnd we may still hear the applause in distant galleries beyond the sea. He has decided that the public revenues must be paid In honest money. My friend and classmate, George Bancroft, the historian, has written this letter to me out of a full heart. (TO BE CONTINUED.) Proof of It. Your sensible friend may have no superstition, but she Is an old hen." Maybe she is, but she laid a ghost Only what we have wrought Into character during life can we take away with us. Spurgeon. DID SMILE ON OCCASIONS Indian Could Relax, but Only When He Felt He Had Earned the ' Right, as It Were. Here is a story told at a dinner party by a Red Cross official who has just returned from France: The grandson of Sitting Bull, the famous Indian chief, was an interesting convalescent in Base Hospital No. 46. He hnd enlisted in the early days of the war, had gone, over the top and worked havoc among the Germans before he was wounded. Nurses and doctors caring for him tried in vain to get more than a grunt out of him in response to questions, while the other men in the ward called him Gloomy Gus, because he never cracked a smile. The Red Cross representative in th hospital becoming interested, tried his hand at 'cheering np the Indian. Gifts of cigarettes and chocolate were received, but without a change of expression. Dont you ever smile?" he demanded of the Indian one day, and for the first time Sitting Bulls grandson grinned. When I kill a Sure," he replied. Boche ! Just So! What is marriage? Love parsonified. Boston Tran- script. Delicious Mixture ofWheat Barley ISr health value, sound nourish.-mentanda-sw- eet nut-lik-e flavor impose sible in a pro-- duct made of wheat alone, eat Grapelits |