, child! It is nothing!" Mrs. Albright put an arm
around her. "It is only that Mr. Randolph is sick."

"O-o-h!" mourned Polly.

"It's in the morning paper," added Miss Crilly. "It says,
'seriously ill.'"

"Yet he may not be," interposed Miss Sterling. "The papers seldom
get it right."

"It is too bad!" Polly sat down. "Our paper was late," she
explained, "and father didn't have time to read it,--he was called
off from breakfast,--and I was thinking so much about going that I
forgot the paper. Is that all it says?"

"Yes. It doesn't tell what the matter is."

"Now we shall have to wait!" said Polly dismally. "How is Miss
Twining?"

"A little brighter, I think," answered Mrs. Albright.

"Dear me! I hope Mr. Randolph won't die!" Miss Crilly's face was
despairing. "There isn't another one we'd dare tell!"

"No," agreed Polly, "he's the only man we can trust. We can't do a
single thing till he gets well."

CHAPTER XXX

DOODLES SINGS

Doodles had heard of Nelson Randolph's illness, yet he was
unprepared for the additional tidings that came to him when he was
on a downtown errand.

"Oh, he suffers something terrible!" exclaimed the boy who brought
the news. "Carl Harris told me about it. He's down there in the
paper office, and they say if he don't get better pretty soon he's
got to die! The Doctor can't stop the pain."

Doodles walked away thinking hard. "Guess I'll go," he told
himself. "He liked my singing the other night up here, and perhaps
it would make him forget. Anyhow, I can go!"

An hour later Doodles stood at the door of the Randolph home.

"He's sick. He can't see anybody," said the maid who answered his
ring.

"Is he able to talk?" queried the lad.

The girl nodded.

"Then will you please ask him if he would like to have Doodles
Stickney sing to him."

"'T won't do no good," she replied indifferently. "The nurse won't
let anybody see him."

A man came slowly up the steps, and the boy turned to recognize a
well-known physician.

"Oh, Dr. Temple!" he began eagerly, "do you think Mr. Randolph
would like to have me sing for him?"

The physician looked the lad over gravely. He was so long about
it, Doodles wondered if his boots were dusty and the Doctor were
disapproving them. Then came the answer.

"Probably not."

"But he did like to hear me sing the other night when he was at our
house. He said so. And when I heard how he is suffering, I
thought perh