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"He was cleaning his father's pistol, and it went off--" the poor,

dazedHe sat, his

elbow on his knee, his forehead resting in the pallanced up, but he did not lift his head He

had hardly spoken since the accident Then, he had said to Willia: "I suppose he undertook to clean s at

queer times I suppose it went off It had a tricky hammer It went

off By accident--not He hadn't any reason to He said, only

yesterday, when he got back, that he couldn't stay away froer He said he had to come home So, you see, there isn't any

reason to think He was cleaning it And it went off The hammer

was tricky"

The sloildered words were spoken with his eyes fixed blindly on

the floor At the sight of his dreadful cohtened whimper He did not repeat the

explanation Dr Lavendar heard it froht, as she knelt

beside the poor, stony father, patting his hand andhim