ature of no great strength beyond his
capacity for human affection and self-sacrifice. And for the time at
least, his sufferings were beyond his control.

In the midst of his grief two little faces, and two pairs of round,
wondering eyes appeared in the doorway. Two small infantile minds
worked hard at the sight they beheld. Vada, whose quickness of
perception was so much in advance of her brother's, murmured in his
ear--

"Sleep."

"Uh, seep," nodded the faithful boy.

Then four little bare feet began to creep into the room. Four big
brown eyes shone with gleeful anticipation. Four chubby arms were
outstretched as though claiming the victim of their childish prank.
Vada led, but Jamie was close behind. They stole in, their small feet
making not the slightest sound as they tiptoed towards the stricken
man. Each, thrilling with excitement, was desperately intent upon
frightening him.

"Boo-h!" cried Vada, her round eyes sparkling as she reached Scipio's
side.

"Bo-oh!" echoed Jamie a second later, chuckling and gurgling a delight
he had no other means of expressing at the moment.

Scipio raised his haggard face. His unsmiling eyes, so pale and
unmeaning, stared stupidly at the children. And suddenly the merry
smile died out of the young faces, and an odd contraction of their
brows suggested a dawning sympathy which came wholly from the heart.

"You'se cryin', poppa," cried Vada impulsively.

"Uh," nodded the boy.

And thereupon great tears welled up into their sympathetic eyes, and
the twins wept in chorus. And somehow the tears, which had thus far
been denied the man, now slowly and painfully flooded his eyes. He
groped the two children into his arms, and buried his face in the
soft wavy hair which fell in a tangle about the girl's head.

For some moments he sat thus, something of his grief easing in the
flood of almost womanish tears. Until, finally, it was Jamie who saved
the situation. His sobs died out abruptly, and the boy in him
stirred.

"Me want t' eat," he protested, without preamble.

The man looked up.

"Eat?" he echoed vaguely.

"Yes. Dinner," explained Vada, whose tears were still flowing, but who
never failed as her little brother's interpreter.

There was a moment's pause while Scipio stared down at the two
faces lifted so appealingly to his. Then a change came into his
expressionless eyes. A smoldering fire began to burn, which seemed
to deepen their weakly coloring. His drawn face