usan into her confidence and she was a natural
dramatist and yet why should she positively glare at him one evening as
he stood snipping the dead stalks from the rose bushes in his yard?

Indeed her disapproval was so evident that Ambrose straightening up
asked in amazement: "Whatever have I done, Susan?"

"Ain't it about time you was inquirin' concernin' Miss Dunham?" Susan
demanded; "you're 'most the only person now in Pennyrile that ain't, and
ef there's one thing I more'n another nacherally despise it's folks
proppin' up a thing when it's standin' firm and don't need help, and
then beginnin' to ease off when mebbe it's likely to fall."

"How is Miss Dunham?" Ambrose queried, and the older woman gave him a
curious look. "She ain't dyin' sick yet, Doctor Webb says, but it's
worse'n he thought, 'cause it ain't plain chills and fever; mebbe it's
the typhoids."

At this information Ambrose paled slightly, but when his neighbour had
disappeared into her house for fresh clothes and supplies his expression
grew more peaceful.

"Em'ly's turnin' out a lot better actress'n I thought," he said to
himself. "I wasn't figurin' on her play actin' so long."

He was leaning on his rake, having suddenly lost every atom of energy,
when Susan, passing out again, dealt him another blow.

"Ain't you never goin' to stop mopin', Ambrose Thompson? I'm sick of
lookin' at you," she said. "Seems like there's nothin' on this earth
more tryin' than the way some folks act dead 'cause some one they love
is. Ef the Lord hadn't wanted you to live, man, I reckon He'd 'a' took
you with Sarah. 'Tain't likely He wants dead folks on His livin' earth!"
And then Mrs. Barrows hurried away to her charge, having left behind her
sufficient inspiration to persuade Ambrose to finish the task of tidying
up his yard.

[Illustration: "Ain't you never goin' to stop mopin', Ambrose Thompson?
I'm sick of lookin' at you"]

And so another week went by, Ambrose and Miner in the meanwhile having
less to say to each other than at any time in their lives since they had
learned to speak, and never meeting any more outside of working hours.
Nevertheless when they were together, although Miner's manner continued
surly and unapproachable, his eyes constantly watched the face of his
former friend, while Ambrose never altered in his old attitude of
affection toward him.

Yet on Sunday morning, as Ambrose stood dressing for church in front of
his yellow pine bureau, wit