nd in a few
moments the young minister was dragged back, unconscious, into safety.

The next morning brought to John Egerton a vivid recollection of the
last night's events. His first impulse was to get out of his bed and
go straight to Donald and thank him from the bottom of his full and
humble heart. But Mrs. McNabb sat at his side, sympathetic but
inexorable. He was not to move out of his bed that day, she commanded;
Mrs. Fraser had left instructions to that effect. The helpless
prisoner appealed to Peter Junior. That young man came into the room
before going to his work to see if his hero had quite recovered. "See
what your mother's doing to me, Pete," he complained, half laughingly.
"I'm as well as you are, and she won't let me get up. I want to see
Donald. He pulled me out all alone, didn't he?"

Peter Junior was a garrulous youth of seventeen indiscreet summers. He
was enthusiastic over Donald's courageous deed. "You just bet he did,
Mr. Egerton!" he cried, seating his blacksmith's overalls on the
minister's immaculate white counterpane, too eager to notice that his
mother was telegraphing frantic disapproval. "You just bet! Mack
Fraser got there in time to give a little pull, but Don did the most of
it. Say! but it was fine though! All the fellows 'round said it was
jist nip an' tuck for about a minit whether he'd go in himself or not!"

"It was simply splendid of him!" cried the minister warmly. "I shall
never be able to thank him."

Mrs. McNabb left the room for a few minutes and her son became
confidential.

"Say, though," he exclaimed sympathetically, "all the fellows was
sayin' last night it must be kind o' awkward for you, havin' Don pull
you out. They're all wonderin' how Jessie Hamilton'll take it."

If Mrs. McNabb had happened to take her patient's temperature at that
moment she would have been highly alarmed. But it was impossible to
resent Peter's blundering sympathy.

"Where's Donald?" he asked, with an effort. "I must see him."

"He went off this mornin' early. Sandy drove him to Mapletown. Don't
know what he was in such a fearful rush for. Allan Fraser's goin' on
the same train an' he doesn't go till the afternoon. Hello, there's
Flo yellin' at me. Now, you take care o' yourself, an' do what mother
tells you," he added, rising, and gazing affectionately at the young
minister. "You'll soon be all right. There's been about a thousand
people here this mornin' already