e must be put to bed here, Mrs. Bergen," said McGuire. "She'll need
the doctor too."

Beth protested and would not leave the room until the doctor came. But
McGuire, who seemed--and somewhat justly--to have complete faith in the
efficacy of his own remedy, gave her some of the whisky and water to
drink, while Aunt Tillie washed her face and rubbed vaseline upon her
arms, crooning over her all the while in the comforting way of women of
her kind, to the end that Beth felt the pain of her body lessen.

It was not until the doctor arrived with a businesslike air and made his
examination, pronouncing Peter's condition serious but not necessarily
fatal, that the tension at Beth's heart relaxed.

"He--he'll get well, Doctor?" she asked timidly.

"I think so," he said with a smile, "but we've got to have absolute
quiet now. I'd like some one here to help me----"

"If you'd only let me----"

But she read refusal in his eyes as he looked at her critically, and saw
him choose Stryker.

"You're to be put to bed at once," he said dryly. "You'll need attention
too, I'm thinking."

And so Beth, with McGuire's arm supporting and Aunt Tillie's arm around
her, was led to the room adjoining,--the pink room of Miss Peggy
McGuire. McGuire closed the door and questioned her eagerly.

"You say Hawk Kennedy was killed----?"

"I think so--or--or burned," said Beth, now quivering in the reaction
of all that she had experienced. "I--I sent Shad Wells to see. We left
him lying there. We just had time to get away. The fire was all around.
We got to the swamp--into the water--but he----" She put her face into
her hands, trembling with the recollection. "It was horrible. I can't
talk about it."

Aunt Tillie glared at McGuire, but he still questioned uneasily.

"You--you saw nothing of a blue envelope, a paper----"

With an effort Beth lowered her hands and replied:

"No--Peter--Mr. Nichols thought of it. Shad Wells will bring it--if it
isn't burned."

"Oh, I see----"

"But what you can't see," broke in Aunt Tillie with spirit, "is that the
poor child ain't fit to answer any more questions to-night. And she
shan't."

"Er--no--of course," said McGuire, and went out.

If it had been an eventful day for Peter and Beth, the night was to
prove eventful for McGuire, for not content to wait the arrival of Shad
Wells, he took his courage in his hands and with Brierly drove at once
to the scene of the disaster. The wind had died and a g