men," said Dannie. "For fifteen years we have
lived here wi' Mary. The night ye married her, the licht of happiness
went out for me. But I shut my mouth, and shouldered my burden, and
went on with my best foot first; because if she had na refused me, I
should have married her, and then ye would have been the one to suffer.
If she had chosen me, I should have married her, juist as ye did. Oh,
I've never forgotten that! So I have na been a happy mon, Jimmy. We
winna go into that any further, we've been over it once. It seems to be
a form of torture especially designed fra me, though at times I must
confess, it seems rough, and I canna see why, but we'll cut that off
with this: life has been Hell's hottest sweat-box fra me these fifteen
years."

Jimmy groaned aloud. Dannie's keen gray eyes seemed boring into the
soul of the man before him, as he went on.

"Now how about ye? Ye got the girl ye wanted. Ye own a guid farm that
would make ye a living, and save ye money every year. Ye have done
juist what ye pleased, and as far as I could, I have helped ye. I've
had my eye on ye pretty close, Jimmy, and if YE are a happy mon, I
dinna but I'm content as I am. What's your trouble? Did ye find ye
dinna love Mary after ye won her? Did ye murder your mither or blacken
your soul with some deadly sin? Mon! If I had in my life what ye every
day neglect and torture, Heaven would come doon, and locate at the foot
of the Rainbow fra me. But, ye are no happy, Jimmy. Let's get at the
root of the matter. While ye are unhappy, Mary will be also. We are
responsible to God for her, and between us, she is empty armed, near to
death, and almost dumb with misery. I have juist sworn to her on the
cross she loves that if she will make ane more effort, and get well, we
will make her happy. Now, how are we going to do it?"

Another great groan burst from Jimmy, and he shivered as if with a
chill.

"Let us look ourselves in the face," Dannie went on, "and see what we
lack. What can we do fra her? What will bring a song to her lips, licht
to her beautiful eyes, love to her heart, and a living child to her
arms? Wake up, mon! By God, if ye dinna set to work with me and solve
this problem, I'll shake a solution out of ye! What I must suffer is my
own, but what's the matter with ye, and why, when she loved and married
ye, are ye breakin' Mary's heart? Answer me, mon!"

Dannie reached over and snatched the hat from Jimmy's forehead, and
stared at an i