, he buried his face in his hands.

"Are you sure?" the doctor asked, not knowing what else to say.

"Sure," was the low reply. "Strange I didn't know him at first. But
it's him all right. And, say, doc, ye'll bring him around, won't ye?"
and the captain raised his eyes appealingly to his companion's face.

"I shall do all I can, captain, never fear."

"May the Lord bless ye, doc, fer them words. Isn't it lucky that ye're
here to-night? Jist think what the scouts have done. But fer them my
Jimmy would be lyin' out there in the storm. And, say, d'ye believe in
God?"

"Y-yes, I suppose so," was the somewhat doubtful response.

"But ye'll be sure now, dead certain, won't ye, doc?"

"Why? I don't catch the drift of your meaning."

"Ye don't? Why, that's queer, after what He's done fer my Jimmy. Who
else sent them scouts out there to bring my boy in but Him? And to
think that all of these years I've been scoffin' at Him and religion,
and then fer Him to do so much fer me and my Jimmy!"

The doctor knew not how to reply, and so continued his smoke, while the
captain sat nearby with bent head, deep in thought. The storm still
raged without, but there was silence in the kitchen, save for the
kettle which sang upon the stove. But a more intense silence reigned
within the little bed-room adjoining, where a mother knelt by the side
of her only child, holding his cold right hand in hers, and offering up
wordless prayers that he might be spared.

News of Jimmy Britt's return soon spread throughout the parish, and
everywhere there was the buzz of gossip as to the strange way he had
come home. Some thought he must have been drunk, which caused him to
fall upon the road. Others believed that he was so poor that he could
not afford to be driven from the train. But all were of one mind that
his not writing to his parents for years was most mysterious.

While all this talking was going on, Jimmy was being slowly restored to
life through the doctor's skill, and the mother's careful nursing.
Mrs. Britt now found the work of looking after two patients almost
beyond her power of endurance. It was then that Miss Arabella offered
her assistance, and proved a veritable angel of mercy in her attention
to Whyn, and doing what she could about the house.

During the weeks which followed the night of the great storm the scouts
did not meet at Headquarters. They knew that the captain had little or
no heart for anything n