accompany his shrill voice in song. As a matter of fact, he
had no voice and never would have, but almost from the first
he knew how to sing. It so happened that he was drawn to the
piano by a singular thing: a note from his beloved.

It came one morning thumb-marked about the sealing, and
covered with the generous sprawl of her writing. It said:

DEAR ALADDIN: Do not say anything about this because I do not
know if my father would like it but I am so sorry about your
father blowing up and all your troubles and I want you to know
how sory I am. I must stop now because I have to practis.

Your loving friend

MARGARET ST. JOHN.

Aladdin was an exquisite speller, and the first thing he
noticed about the letter was that it contained two words
spelled wrong, and that he loved Margaret the better by two
misspelled words, and that he had a lump in his throat.

He had found the letter by his plate at breakfast, and the
eyes of Mrs. Brackett fastened upon it.

"I don't know who ken have been writin' to you," she said.

"Neither do I," said Aladdin, giving, as is proper, the direct
lie to the remark inquisitive. He had put the letter in his
pocket.