ok here!" he said, calming down and taking his chair again. "You
don't understand, and I guess I ought to explain. In the first place get
it out of your head that I'm acting fresh or anything like that. I'm
only a kind of big brother that happened along two or three times when
you needed somebody--a--a kind of a Christ-brother, if you want to call
it that way," he added, snatching at the minister's phrase. "You believe
He sends help when it's needed, don't you?"

Bonnie nodded.

"Well, I hadn't an idea in the world of interfering with your affairs at
all, but when I heard you ought to rest, I began to wish I had a mother
of my own, or an aunt or something who would know what to advise. Then
all of a sudden I thought I'd just put the case up to Mother Marshall.
This is the result. Now wait till I tell you what Mother Marshall has
been through, and then if you don't decide that God sent that invitation
I've nothing else to say."

Courtland had a reputation at college for eloquence. In rushing season
his frat. always counted on him to bowl over the doubtful and difficult
fellows, and he never failed. Neither did he fail now, although he found
Bonnie difficult enough. But he had her eyes full of tears of sympathy
before he was through with the story of Stephen.

"Oh, I would love to see her and put my arms around her and try to
comfort her!" she exclaimed. "I know just how she must feel. But I
really couldn't use the money of a stranger, and I couldn't go away with
all this debt, the funeral, and everything!"

Then he set carefully to work to plan for her. He read Mother Marshall's
letter over again, and asked what things she would need to take if she
should go. He wrote out a list of the things she would like to sell, and
promised to look after them.

"Suppose you just leave that to me," he said, comfortingly. "I'll wager
I can get enough out of your furniture to pay all the bills, so you
won't leave any behind. Then if I were you I'd just use that check
they've sent for your expenses, and trust to getting a position, in
that neighborhood when you are strong enough. There are always openings
in the West, you know."

"Do you really think I could do that?" asked Bonnie, excitedly. "I'm a
good stenographer, I've had a really fine musical education, and I could
teach a number of other things."

"Oh, sure! You'd get more positions than you could fill at once!" he
declared, joyously. Somehow it gave him great pleasure t