e laid them both on the
grass and contemplated them exercising their lungs with miserable
satisfaction. But here he found his own breathing impeded in addition to
a slight faintness, and was suddenly obliged to sit down beside them, at
which, by some sympathetic intuition, they both stopped crying.

Encouraged by this, Mr. Hamlin got them to laughing again, and then
proposed a race home in their wet clothes, which they accepted, Mr.
Hamlin, for respiratory reasons, lagging in their rear until he had the
satisfaction of seeing them captured by the horrified Melinda in front
of the kitchen, while he slipped past her and regained his own room.
Here he changed his saturated clothes, tried to rub away a certain
chilliness that was creeping over him, and lay down in his dressing
gown to miserable reflections. He had nearly drowned the children and
overexcited himself, in spite of his promise to the doctor! He would
never again be intrusted with the care of the former nor be believed by
the latter!

But events are not always logical in sequence. Mr. Hamlin went
comfortably to sleep and into a profuse perspiration. He was awakened by
a rapping at his door, and opening it, was surprised to find Mrs. Rivers
with anxious inquiries as to his condition. "Indeed," she said, with an
emotion which even her prim reserve could not conceal, "I did not know
until now how serious the accident was, and how but for you and Divine
Providence my little girl might have been drowned. It seems Melinda saw
it all."

Inwardly objurgating the spying Melinda, but relieved that his playmates
hadn't broken their promise of secrecy, Mr. Hamlin laughed.

"I'm afraid that your little girl wouldn't have got into the water at
all but for me--and you must give all the credit of getting her out
to the other fellow." He stopped at the severe change in Mrs. Rivers's
expression, and added quite boyishly and with a sudden drop from his
usual levity, "But please don't keep the children away from me for all
that, Mrs. Rivers."

Mrs. Rivers did not, and the next day Jack and his companions sought
fresh playing fields and some new story-telling pastures. Indeed, it was
a fine sight to see this pale, handsome, elegantly dressed young fellow
lounging along between a blue-checkered pinafored girl on one side and
a barefooted boy on the other. The ranchmen turned and looked after
him curiously. One, a rustic prodigal, reduced by dissipation to the
swine-husks of ran