ry kind, Judge," she said, "and I
thank you very much, but--"

"Well, but what?"

"But I--I can't. I--I--Oh, don't you see? I couldn't eat, or even try
to--now. I want to get home--to them."

"And so you shall, my dear. And in double-quick time, too. Here, Jesse,"
opening the door to the outer office and addressing the clerk, "you
step over and tell Samuel that I want to borrow his car and Jim for two
hours. Tell him I want them now. And if his car is busy go to Cahoon's
garage and hire one with a driver. Hurry!"

"And now, Mary," turning to her, "can you tell me any more about your
plans, provided you have had time to make any? If this story about your
uncles' business troubles is true, what do you intend doing? Or don't
you know?"

Mary replied that her plans were very indefinite, as yet.

"I have some ideas," she said; "some that I had thought I might use
after I had finished school and come back to the store. They may not
be worth much; they were schemes for building up the business there and
adding some other sorts of business to it. The first thing I shall do is
to see how bad the situation really is."

"I hope it isn't bad. Poor Zoeth certainly has had trouble enough in his
life."

There was a significance in his tone which Mary plainly did not
understand.

"What trouble do you mean?" she asked.

The Judge looked at her, coughed, and then said hastily: "Oh, nothing in
particular; every one of us has troubles, I suppose. But, Mary, if--if
you find that the story is true and--ahem--a little money might help
to--er--tide the firm over--why, I--I think perhaps that it might
be--ahem--arranged so that--"

He seemed to be having difficulty in finishing the sentence. Mary did
not wait to hear the end.

"Thank you, Judge," she said quickly. "Thank you, but I am hoping it may
not be so bad as that. I am going back there, you know, and--well, as
Uncle Shadrach would say, we may save the ship yet. At any rate, we
won't call for help until the last minute."

Judge Baxter regarded her with admiration.

"Shadrach and Zoeth are rich in one respect," he declared; "they've got
you. But it is a wicked shame that you must give up your school and your
opportunities to--"

She held up her hand.

"Please don't!" she begged. "If you knew how glad I am to be able to do
something, if it is only to give up!"

The car and Jim were at the door a few minutes later and Mary, having
said good-by to the Judge and promise