g doze.

"What is it?" she said, looking about the room with a shiver, as if
expecting to see again what she saw there New Year's night. Archie was
alone, however, and, drawing her toward the closet, answered with an
evident effort to be quite calm and steady "Charlie is hurt! Uncle wants
more ether and the wide bandages in some drawer or other. He told me,
but I forget. You keep this place in order find them for me. Quick!"

Before he had done, Rose was at the drawer, turning over the bandages
with hands that trembled as they searched.

"All narrow! I must make some. Can you wait?" And, catching up a piece
of old linen, she tore it into wide strips, adding, in the same quick
tone, as she began to roll them, "Now, tell me."

"I can wait those are not needed just yet. I didn't mean anyone should
know, you least of all," began Archie, smoothing out the strips as they
lay across the table and evidently surprised at the girl's nerve and
skill.

"I can bear it make haste! Is he much hurt?"

"I'm afraid he is. Uncle looks sober, and the poor boy suffers so, I
couldn't stay," answered Archie, turning still whiter about the lips
that never had so hard a tale to tell before.

"You see, he went to town last evening to meet the man who is going to
buy Brutus."

"And Brutus did it? I knew he would!" cried Rose, dropping her work to
wring her hands, as if she guessed the ending of the story now.

"Yes, and if he wasn't shot already I'd do it myself with pleasure, for
he's done his best to kill Charlie," muttered Charlie's mate with a grim
look, then gave a great sigh and added with averted face, "I shouldn't
blame the brute, it wasn't his fault. He needed a firm hand and--" He
stopped there, but Rose said quickly: "Go on. I must know."

"Charlie met some of his old cronies, quite by accident; there was a
dinner party, and they made him go, just for a good-bye, they said. He
couldn't refuse, and it was too much for him. He would come home alone
in the storm, though they tried to keep him, as he wasn't fit. Down
by the new bridge that high embankment, you know the wind had put the
lantern out he forgot or something scared Brutus, and all went down
together."

Archie had spoken fast and brokenly but Rose understood and at the last
word hid her face with a little moan, as if she saw it all.

"Drink this and never mind the rest," he said, dashing into the next
room and coming back with a glass of water, longing to be done a