give you after you say you are sorry, 'specially if you
promise not to do it again."

"Oh, I shall never do it again," said Huldy. "Once has nearly killed me.
I suffered ten times more from that than from my broken arm."

"Well," said 'Zekiel, "if that person don't forgive you I don't want
anything more to do with him."

"Let me tell you a little story," said Huldy. "A little boy and girl
whose homes were not a quarter of a mile apart grew up together in a
little country town. As children they loved each other, and as they grew
older that love really grew stronger, though not so plainly shown or
spoken. Everybody thought that one day they would be married, though he
had never asked her to be his wife. Did you ever hear of anything like
that, 'Zekiel?"

"Well," remarked 'Zekiel, "I have in my mind two persons whose relations
were pretty similar up to a certain point."

"Yes," said Huldy, eagerly, "and that point was reached when a young man
from the city, whose father was known to be very wealthy, came to board
in her father's house." Huldy looked at 'Zekiel inquiringly.

"Yes, I've heard of something like that," said 'Zekiel.

"For a time," continued Huldy, "the young girl was unfaithful to her
old-time lover. She thought the young man from the city was learning to
love her because he was polite and attentive to her. She thought it
would be nice to be rich and go to the city to live, but the young man
soon undeceived her. He took her to ride one day, and on their way home
he told her he was going to leave her father's house. She wished to know
the reason, but he would not give it. She divined it, however, and in
her agitation lost control of the horse she was driving. The buggy was
overturned and her arm was broken." She looked up at 'Zekiel. His face
was grave, but he nodded for her to go on. "She stayed in bed for three
weeks, and during that time she lived over her short life a hundred,
yes, a thousand, times; she knew that her fancy had been but a fleeting
dream. A suspicion that perhaps the young man had imagined her feelings
towards him was what had nearly broken her heart. Supposing you were the
man, 'Zekiel, and I were the woman in this little story, could you
forgive me if I said I was sorry and would never do it again?"

"I forgave you, Huldy, when I let him come to board in my house. He told
Uncle Ike why he left your father's house. The folks were talking about
you and him, but he never imagined that