ind her, nodded in
my face. "His mother says her boarder is dying and she wants to tell
you something before she dies, and she told Jimmy he must see you
himself. Grannie's gone to prayer-meeting with Mrs. Crimm, and
afterward to see about a sick person. I'm awful sorry to interrupt
you, and if the lady hadn't been dying--"

"You're not interrupting." I drew the boy inside. Bettina came
also. From the fire to which I led him, Jimmy drew back, however,
and blew upon his stiff little fingers until it was safe to put them
closer to the blazing coals. Looking down at his feet, I saw a large
and ragged hole on the side of his right shoe from which a tiny bit
of blood was slowly oozing upon the rug.

"What's the matter with your foot, Jimmy? Have you cut it, stuck
something in it? You must take your shoe off and see what's the
matter." I pointed to the floor.

"I didn't know I'd done it." Craning his neck to its fullest
extending. Jimmy peered down at the bleeding foot, then looked up at
me. "I'm awful sorry it got on the rug. I'll wipe it up in a
minute." Imperishable merriment struggled with abashed regret, and,
holding out the offending foot, he laughed wistfully. "It ain't got
no feeling in it, though it's coming. I guess it's kinder froze.
They're regular flip-flops, them shoes are."

Under his breath I heard a smothered exclamation from Selwyn. He was
standing in front of the boy, hands in his pockets, and staring at
him. He knew, of course, there were countless ill-fed, ill-clothed,
unprotected children in every city of every land, but personally he
had come in contact with but few of them, and the bit of flesh and
blood before him stabbed with sharp realization. Helplessly he
turned to me. "The boy's half frozen. Where did he come from? What
does he want you to do?"

Jimmy looked up at me. "Mother told me to hurry. The doctor's done
gone and Mrs. Cotter says she's bound to see you before she dies.
She's got something to tell you. She says please, 'm, come quick."

Hesitating, I looked at the boy, who had come closer to the fire.
"Did the doctor say she was dying? I saw her yesterday and she
seemed better. Miss White was to see her to-day."

"Miss White is there now." Jimmy lifted his right foot and held it
from the ground. The warmth of the room was bringing pain to the
benumbed member into which something had been stuck. "She told me to
tell you please, 'm, to come if you could