f the harmless kind so well known in the
Northwest, and the bear turned and ran, while the Indian followed it
toward the wood. The odd event was quite excusable on any ground of rule
and propriety in the primitive school.

"It no harm; let it go," said the boy on his return; and the spirit of the
incident was good and educational in the hearts of the school.

The charm of his life was Gretchen's violin. It transfigured him; it
changed the world to him. His father was a forest philosopher; the boy
caught a like spirit, and often said things that were a revelation to Mr.
Mann.

"Why do you like the violin so much?" said the latter to him one day.

"It brings to me the thing longed for--the thing I long to know."

"Why, what is that?"

"I can't tell it--I feel it here--I sense it--I shall know--something
better--yonder--the thing we long for, but do not know. Don't you long for
it? Don't you feel it?"

The tall schoolmaster said "Yes," and was thoughtful. The poor Indian had
tried to express that something beyond his self of which he could only now
have a dim conception, and about which even science is dumb. Mr. Mann
understood it, but he could hardly have expressed it better.

The boy learned the alphabet quickly, and began to demand constant
attention in his eagerness to learn. Mr. Mann found that he was giving
more than the allotted time to him. To meet the case, he appointed from
time to time members of the school "monitors," as he called them, to sit
beside him and help him.

One day he asked Gretchen to do this work. The boy was delighted to be
instructed by the mistress of the violin, and she was as pleased with the
honor of such monitorial duties to the son of a chief. But an unexpected
episode grew out of all this mutual good-will and helpful kindness.

Benjamin was so grateful to Gretchen for the pains that she took with his
studies that he wished to repay her. He had a pretty little Cayuse pony
which he used to ride; one day after school he caused it to be brought to
the school-house, and, setting Gretchen upon it, he led it by the mane up
the trail toward her home, a number of the pupils following them. On the
way the merry-making party met Mrs. Woods. She was as astonished as though
she had encountered an elephant, and there came into her face a look of
displeasure and anger.

"What kind of doings are these, I would like to know?" she exclaimed, in a
sharp tone, standing in the middle of the way an