, but it was an hour before he showed any signs of
consciousness, for I could do nothing for him,--only sit and watch.

At last he recognised me and tried to talk, but his speech was thick
and nothing but a jabber of sounds.

He cast his eyes down his right side as if to draw my attention to
something. His eyes, somehow, seemed the only real live part of him.
I examined him carefully and saw what he meant.

Poor fellow! Tears ran down my cheeks in pity for him.

His right side was numb and paralysed.

I hurried over to Mary's. She and Mrs. Malmsbury returned with me and
attended him, hand and foot, until the minister came in late that
afternoon.

Mr. Auld was a medical missionary, and he confirmed what I had feared.
Jake had had a stroke.

The only articulate words Meaghan uttered in his mumblings were, "Rita,
Rita, Rita." Again and again he came over the name. At last I
promised him I would run over and bring her to him.

That seemed to content him, but his eyes still kept roving round
restlessly.

Mr. Auld injected some morphine through Jake's arm in order to give his
brain the rest that it evidently sorely needed.

"There is little we can do, George," said the minister. "He may be all
right to-morrow, but for his physical helplessness;--and, even that may
abate. Between you and me, I pray to God he may not live."

"But what can have caused it, Mr. Auld?"

"If Jake only could have been able to drink as other men do,--drink,
get drunk and leave off,--he never would have come to this. His
constitution was never made for such drinking as he has indulged in.
No man's constitution is."

"Are you going to send him down to the city?" I asked.

"Not if you will bear with him here. It would do no good to move him.
I would advise his remaining here. He will be happier, poor fellow. I
shall run in early to-morrow."

I fetched Rita over that night and she remained with the old miner
right along.

Her cheery presence brightened up the stricken man wonderfully.

Next day, he could talk more intelligibly and, with help, he got up and
sat on a chair.

The Rev. William Auld called and left a jar containing some hideous
little leeches in water. He gave me instructions that, if Jake took
any sudden attack and the blood pressure in his head appeared great, I
was to place two of these blood-sucking creatures on each of his
temples, to relieve him.

He showed me how to fix them to the flesh.

"Once th