of thankfulness.

"What is it?" she pleaded. "I don't see what it all means!"

"We heard that the ponies ran away," the Doctor explained, "and that
one of you was hurt--badly. Somebody thought it was not Leonora, and,
of course--"

"Oh, Ilga!" broke in Polly. And she told of how the exchange had been
made.

Dr. Dudley hastened away, to learn the truth of the matter, while
Polly and her mother tried to settle into something like calmness.

By chance callers and over the wire came snatches of facts concerning
the accident. Nobody seemed to know what had startled the ponies, but
Leonora had pluckily held to the reins until a hill was reached,
thereby averting injury to herself. Ilga, becoming frightened, had
jumped from the carriage, with serious results. It had occurred while
Philip had gone into a shop for some purchase, leaving his own horse
and the little team at the curb. When he came out the ponies were
dashing across the railway tracks ahead of a coming train, and he was
obliged to wait behind the gates until the small carriage was out of
sight.

It was not until the Doctor returned that the nature of Ilga's
injuries were known.

"Dr. Palmer and Dr. Houston are attending her," the physician said. "I
have heard nothing direct from them, but it is rumored that the girl's
back is broken."

"Poor Ilga!" burst out Polly, and hid her face in her hands amid a
torrent of tears. "It is all my fault!" she moaned. "It is all my
fault! If I hadn't asked her, she wouldn't have got hurt!"

Father and mother tried to soothe her; but her sensitive heart
shouldered the entire blame of Ilga's accident, and it required much
reasoning before she was able to look at the matter in a true light.

Further reports confirmed the first rumors about the unfortunate girl.
It was extremely doubtful, the physicians thought, if she ever walked
again. Dr. Dudley and his wife kept the sad tidings as much as
possible from Polly; but she was obliged to hear talk of it at school,
and often she would come home at noon only to spoil her dinner with
tears.

One evening Polly was, as usual, perched on the arm of her father's
chair, when he surprised her with some news.

"I had the pleasure of making Miss Ilga's acquaintance to-day."

Polly's eyes widened incredulously.

"She is at the hospital," he continued, "and has passed through a
successful operation. It is too soon to be quite positive, but
everything looks favorable to-night."