第11章
“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