k at which she had often wondered
herself.

"It is the same--the very same," he murmured. "The same shape, the same
size, and in the same place. There can be no doubt of it, I think. Amy,
you must be--my sister!"

"But--but," she stammered, "you said your sister had a 'V' shaped mark
on her arm, just above the elbow. Now you----"

"I know I said that, but it was a mistake. Or, rather, that was not the
real identifying mark. The people on whom I relied did not send me all
the information they had.

"My missing sister did have a mark on her arm--a mark shaped like a 'V,'
but it is not a birth mark. It was caused by the sharp point of a hot
flatiron when she was a child. But the main identifying mark is this red
one on the shoulder. You have it! Everything tallies with the new
information I have."

"But you never said anything to us about this," spoke Amy, wonderingly.

"I know it. I thought I had inflicted enough of my family troubles on
you girls. I kept quiet about this. I determined to say nothing. But
now, when I saw this mark on you, I was sure. There can be no mistake.
Oh, Amy!" and his eyes filled with tears of joy.

"I--I hope there is no mistake," she faltered. "I--perhaps it will be
well to say nothing to the others about it--just yet."

"Perhaps. I will have further inquiries made, and then I will let you
know. Poor Amy! Does it pain you very much?" and he touched her arm
gently.

"No, hardly any, now."

"I will bind it up, and we will go back. Oh, Amy, I hope--I pray that it
may turn out you are my sister. I--I want you so much."

"And I hope so, too," she said.

The scratched arm was bandaged, and the torn sleeves adjusted as well as
could be. Then the two, upon whom Fate had payed such a strange trick,
walked back.

"I had some hopes, when you first mentioned a birth mark," said Amy,
"that mine might prove to be the one you were looking for, but when you
spoke of one near the elbow I knew it could not be. This scar, which
does somewhat resemble a 'V,' was not a birth mark, though."

"No, and that threw us all off. But I did not then know of the mistake
having been made. I only learned differently the other day, but I kept
silent about it. There had been disappointments enough. But when I saw
that mark on your shoulder, it came to me in a rush. Amy, you must be my
sister!"

"I--I hope I am!"

"But we will wait and make sure."

To this she agreed. Of course they showed their excitement w