--longed now as never before.

Fledra's eyes sought Cronk's. He had forgotten her; Katherine alone held
his attention. Timidly she raised her arms and drew down her father's
face to hers.

"I'm glad, I'm awful glad that you're mine--and you're Floyd's, too. Oh,
I'm so glad! And you say--my mother--"

"Yes, Dear," Vandecar murmured, deeply moved; "a beautiful mother, who
is waiting and longing for her girl. Dear God, how thankful I am to be
able to restore you to her!"

The governor held her close, while he told her of her babyhood and the
story of the kidnapping, refraining from mentioning Cronk's name. It
took sometime to impress upon her that all need of apprehension was
past, that her future cast with her own dear ones was safe, and that Lem
and Lon were but as shadows of other days.

Katherine, weeping with despair, was sitting close to Lon. She knew
without being told that the father she had just found had lost from his
memory all of the bitterness of the years gone by. He had gone back to
his Midge, and now centered upon his newly found child the identity of
this dead woman. It was better so, even Katherine admitted; for he was
meek and tender, wholly unlike the sullen, ugly man they had seen
earlier in the evening. The squatter's condition made it impossible to
allow Katherine to be with him, and they dared not leave him alone in
the hut. Later, when they were making plans for Cronk's future, Vandecar
said:

"We can't leave him here, Ann dear. Can't we take him with us,
Katherine?"

"It's the only thing I can see to do," replied Ann, with catching
breath.

"You'll come with him and me, Katherine, and we'll take him to the car,
while he is subdued. You, Ann, dress that child, and wait here for
Horace. I'll come back directly. I must place Cronk with the conductor,
for fear--"

"Don't be long," begged Ann. "I'm so afraid!"

"No, only long enough to signal the train and get them aboard. You must
be brave, dear girl, and we must all remember what he has suffered. His
heart is as big as the world, and I can't forget that, indirectly, I
brought this upon him." He turned his glance upon the squatter, and
Katherine's eyes followed his. The lines about Lon's mouth had softened
with tenderness, his eyes were filled with adoration. Katherine flashed
him back a sad smile.

"The little Midge!" murmured Lon. "I'll never steal ag'in--never! And
I'll jest fish and work fer my little woman--my pretty woman!"

Van