hed
Janice. "I would dearly love to clean her up and put something decent
to wear upon her, and----"

She did not finish her wish because of an unexpected happening. The
little girl came so blithely across the street only to run directly
into the wavering figure of the intoxicated Jim Narnay. She screamed
as Narnay seized her by one thin arm.

"What ye got there?" he demanded, hoarsely, trying to catch the other
tiny, clenched fist.

"Oh! don't do it! don't do it!" begged the child, trying her best to
slip away from his rough grasp.

"Ye got money, ye little sneak!" snarled the man, and he forced the
girl's hand open with a quick wrench and seized the dime she held.

He flung her aside as though she had been a wisp of straw, and she
would have fallen had not Janice caught her. Indignantly the older
girl faced the drunken ruffian.

"You wicked man! How can you? Give her back that money at once! Why,
you--you ought to be arrested!"

"Aw, g'wan!" growled the fellow. "It's my money."

He stumbled back into the lane again--without doubt making for the rear
door of the Inn barroom from which he had just come. The child was
sobbing.

"Wait!" exclaimed Janice, both eager and angry now. "Don't cry. I'll
get your ten cents back. I'll go right in and tell Mr. Parraday and
he'll make him give it up. At any rate he won't give him a drink for
it."

The child caught Janice's skirt with one grimy hand. "Don't--don't do
that, Miss," she said, soberly.

"Why not?"

"'Twon't do no good. Pop's all right when he's sober, and he'll be
sorry for this. I oughter kep' my eyes open. Ma told me to. I could
easy ha' dodged him if I'd been thinkin'. But--but that's all ma had
in the house and she needed the meal."

"He--he is your father?" gasped Janice.

"Oh, yes. I'm Sophie Narnay. That's pop. And he's all right when
he's sober," repeated the child.

Janice Day's indignation evaporated. Now she could feel only sympathy
for the little creature that was forced to acknowledge such a man for a
parent.

"Ma's goin' to be near 'bout distracted," Sophie pursued, shaking her
tangled head. "That's the only dime she had."

"Never mind," gasped Janice, feeling the tears very near to the
surface. "I'll let you have the dime you need. Is--is your papa
always like that?"

"Oh, no! Oh, no! He works in the woods sometimes. But since the
tavern's been open he's been drinkin' more. Ma says she hopes it'll
b