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PgESPEESWW
she came out into the room where
' her brother was pacing the floor,
quite stirred up by the strange hap
pening of the hour.
"Our guest has a fever, but is con
scious," she spoke in her grave,
thoughtful way.
"What did she say?" inquired Hay
den eagerly.
"She asked where she was. I told
her, even to our reduced condition. I
told her, too, she must think of noth
ing but reft and that she would be
welcome here until she was stronger.
She roused a little and, as her eyes
rested on her hand, she suddenly
tore off the rings and violently flung
them into the farthest corner of the
room. 'All ended that!' she cried
out; 'and the little one safe, safe,
safe! I am content!' "
v For three weeks the strange guest
hovered between life and death.
Twice the services of a physician
were necessary. One evening Lee
came home to find the lady seated in
one of the easy chairs of the place
wearing one of Prue's dressing
gowns. She was wan and weak, but
her smile seemed to Lee seraphic as
she held out a thin, wasted hand to
welcome him.
"What do I owe you dear people?"
she asked, and bent her head, sob
bing from emotion.
An extra mouth to feed meant a
good deal to the Lees, but manfully,
gladly, Hayden devoted himself to ex
tra work. It got to be elysium com
plete to Hayden to sit for an hour in
the company of Mrs- Lind, as.she re
quested them to call her, and his sis
ter. One evening Lee was in the kitch
en, as was his wont, assisting Prue
in disposing of the supper dishes,
when there was a sharp scream. Both
rushed, , startled, into the sitting
room. Mrs. Lind lay prone on the
floor. The evening paper was crushed
in her clenched hand. They carried
her into Prue's room. In the mean
time Lee had inspected the paper.
wondering if something it contained 1
had caused the collapse of their
guest. Mrs. Lind soon revived, but
made no explanation as to the cause
of her recent emotion.
What was the astonishment and
depression of Lee when he came
home next day to find Prue half in
begone.
"Shjs has left us," she announced.
t'You don't mean that Mrs. Lind is
gone!" gasped Hayden.
""Yes, brother. As soon as you
were gone she asked me for a heavy
veil, dressed herself and went out,
saying she would soon return, which
she did. I went to the store to get
some groceries. When I came back
she was gone. Her rings were miss
ing and -there lay a $50 bill and a
note. She must have sold or pawned
her jewelry. The note said simply
that we should hear from her soon,
that her whole future was changed
and blessed you as the good genius
of her life.
It was then that Hayden Lee knew
how much the mysterious giiest had
been to him. He tried to hide it from
his sister, but Prue grieved, for she
read the truth in his troubled ace.
A week went by two, three, a
month, and then there was a visitor
to the cheerless little home ftne
evening. The caller, according to his
card was James Page, Jawyer.
"I come from the lady you have
known as Mrs. Lind," he told Hay--den
Lee. "She has made me aware
of what you two great-hearted peo
ple have been to her. I have instruc
tions to reveal sufficient of my cli
ent's situation to give you an under
standing of a remarkable change in
her affairs."
And then the story of a broken life
was told. A sordid, worthless spend
thrift had won Norma Dale. His
name was Walton Burch. A little
child was born, but the father went
on his selfish, reckless, gambling
way. Norma had wedded without the
consent of her father. Bruce had
tried to induce her to appeal to him
for money. She refused, for she
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