ee them," cried Mrs. Allison.

Mabel mechanically detached one of the little gold pins from her collar
and handed it to Mrs. Allison, who examined it closely for a moment,
then dropping it with a little cry, again clasped Mabel in her arms.

"They are the pins I had specially made and engraved for you," she said.
"There is no longer any doubt. You are my lost child."

At these words a light of complete understanding seemed to dawn upon
Mabel, and with a cry of rapture she wound her arms about her mother's
neck.

It was a joyful, though rather a trying moment for the four chums, who
were seized with a hysterical desire to laugh and cry in the same
breath. Grace made a slight motion toward the door, which her friends
were not slow to comprehend. It was her intention to slip quietly away
and leave the mother and daughter alone with their new-found happiness.

Before she could put her plan into execution, however, Mrs. Allison
divined her intention and turning quickly toward her, said, "Don't go,
Grace. I feel as though you girls belonged to me, too. Besides, you have
not heard my part of this story yet."

"Perhaps you are hardly strong enough to tell us after so much
excitement," deprecated Grace.

"My dear, I feel as though I had just begun to live," answered Mrs.
Allison. "The past has been one long dreary blank. If you only knew the
years of agony I have passed through. When you hear my story you will
understand why this reunion is little short of miraculous.

"My home is in Denver. Mabel was born there," continued Mrs. Allison.
"Fourteen years ago this summer my husband and I decided to spend the
summer in Europe, taking with us our baby daughter, Mabel, and her
nurse.

"On the morning that we were to sail, circumstances arose that made it
necessary for my husband and myself to be in New York until almost
sailing time. He therefore sent the nurse, a French woman, who was
thoroughly familiar with the city, on ahead to the vessel, with Mabel in
her care. We had barely time to catch the boat and were met by the
nurse, who said that she had left Mabel asleep in one of the state rooms
engaged for us. It was not until we had put out to sea that we
discovered that Mabel was missing, and a thorough search of the ship was
at once made. The nurse persisted in her statement that Mabel went
aboard with her. Every nook and cranny of the ship was overhauled, but
my child could not be found, and the supposition was that she