a great deal of
money, until she saw him fairly press upon the good widow a two-dollar
bill for their entertainment!

"And I ain't right sure that I'd ought to take anything at all," the
widow declared. "An' at sech a time, too! We'd never been able to eat
all o' them vittles, Em and I, an' we're thankful to have somebody come
along and help us. An' it sure has perked us up right smart."

Nelson had been very gay at the dinner, and had kept the widow and her
daughter in good humor. But with Janice, as they walked back to the
station (Marty had gone off on some matter of his own), the young man
was very serious.

"I sincerely hope, Janice, that you will hear better news from your
father or his friends on the border than the newspaper gave last night.
The trains are snowbound, and no morning papers have reached the Landing
yet, so nobody here knows more than we do about the matter. Don't set
your heart too strongly upon hearing better news--that's all."

"I do not need that warning," Janice told him, with a sigh. "But I felt
as though I should quite go all to pieces if I had to sit still and just
_wait_. I had to _do something_. I can't tell you how thankful I am to
you for your trouble in bringing me down here."

"Trouble?" cried Nelson Haley. "You know it is a pleasure, Janice," and
just then they reached the railroad station and found the operator at
his telegraph key again.

"I was just going to hunt you up, Miss Day," he cried, beckoning her
into the office. "Do you know, young lady, that you have suddenly become
a person of considerable importance?" and he laughed again.

"_Me?_" cried Janice, in amazement.

"You are the tea party--yes, ma'am! You are an object of public
interest. Two New York papers have sent to me for five-hundred word
interviews with you----"

"My goodness me!" gasped Janice. "How dreadful! What does it mean?"

"Your father's case has been taken up by the big papers all over the
country. It may be made a cause for American intervention. That is the
talk. The newspapers are interested, and the truth about your father is
likely to be known very quickly. All the special correspondents down
there on the border have been set to work----Ah! and here is something
from your man at Juarez."

The telegrapher had caught the relay number of the despatch then coming
over the wire, and knew that it was from Juarez. "Hello!" he chuckled,
when the sounder ceased. "Your man is certainly some brief--