ove for a short distance in silence, and then, pulling his
pacer to a walk, Mr. Braden said: "I have always wanted to tell you,
Pearl, that I did not break my word that day. I left word with the
bartender not to give Bill Cavers any liquor, but he did give it to
him, and I have been sorry ever since about it, and I wanted you to
know."

"I am glad you told me," Pearl answered quickly, "for I've often been
sorry for you, thinkin' what sad thoughts you must be havin'."

"My thoughts are sad enough," he said gloomily, "for it was my
whiskey that killed him, even if I didn't hand it out to him myself."

Pearl did not contradict him.

"Isn't it queer how things happen?" she said at last thoughtfully.
"God does His level best for everybody! He tries to take them easy at
first, to see if they'll take telling, and if they do, all right; but
if they won't take telling, He has to jolt them good and plenty. But
He always knows what He's doin'."

"I'm afraid I have not such unbounded faith in the Ruler of the
Universe as you have," he said at last "Bill Cavers didn't get
exactly a fair deal."

"Oh, don't worry about Bill Cavers now," said Pearl quickly. "Bill's
still in God's hands, and God has a better chance at him now than He
ever had. God never intended Bill to be a drunkard,--or you to be
handing liquor out to people; you can bank on that. And he never
intended Mrs. Cavers to be all sad and discouraged. God would do good
things for people if they would only let Him, but He has to have a
free hand on them. When you see people goin' wrong or cuttin' up dog,
you may be sure that God didn't put it down that way in the writin's.
Some one has jiggled His elbow, that's all. And it's great how He
makes it up to people, too. Now, you'd be surprised to see how
cheerful Mrs. Cavers is. When I went over after our threshin' to take
her the money--"

"What money?" he interrupted.

Pearl hesitated. "Well, you know we took their farm when they left
it, and there was some cleared on it, and the house is better than
none, and so we gave her a little to help her and Libby Anne to get
ready to go back to her folks down East."

"How much did you give her?" he asked.

"Two hundred dollars. She didn't want to take it, but really was glad
of it, and Pa and Ma and all of us have been feeling better ever
since. But I was goin' to tell you how cheerful she is, and Libby
Anne is happier than she used to be. Poor little Lib, she's so thin
an