eyes upon the caller--"I, too, want you--to go away!"

Her training had fitted Marcia Lowe to understand and take alarm at
what she beheld, but it also demanded that she leave at once. Since
then Cynthia had never seen the little doctor, and the change in Ann
Walden did not include another furious outburst such as that.

The excitement of the letter faded when the magic sheet of paper was
hidden from sight, and stern necessity brought the severe lines back to
the thin, pale face. It was just at that moment that Smith Crothers
came down the path, crunching under his heavy boots the damp leaves and
branches. Seeing Cynthia beneath the tree he paused and took off his
hat. Whatever the girl felt and believed of the man was gained though
indirect information--he had meant nothing personal to her before, and
it was something of a surprise for her to realize that he was a good
looking man and could smile in kindly fashion.

"Little Miss Walden," he said courteously, "I've just been a-hearing
how you-all suffered from the storm. Mr. Greeley done told me the old
lady is all around cracked!"

"Cracked!" The mountain interpretation of this word flooded Cynthia's
consciousness like a flame that made plain all the subtle fear of the
past few weeks. That was it, of course! "All around cracked!"

"Oh!" came in a shuddering cry; "oh! oh! oh!"

"Now don't take on that-er-way," comforted Crothers, coming nearer.
"Us-all mean to stand by you. I expect you-all ain't over-rich either,
and we-all can help in a right practical way. What do you say, little
Miss Cyn, to coming down to the factory and doing light work and
getting mighty good pay?"

A new horror shook Cynthia's pallid face; but Crothers met it with a
laugh.

"Don't take on without reason," he soothed. "Ain't I done something
for the mountings?" he asked; "I know what some folks think about me,
little Miss Cyn, but you be a right peart miss, and I ask you straight
and true--wouldn't things be worse, bad as they be, if I didn't take
folks and pay 'em? Chillun is better 'long o' their mothers, when
all's said and done, and they don't have to come if they don't want to,
and when they do come the work don't hurt them. Just 'nough to keep
'em from mischief and me a-paying their parents for what is play to the
young-uns."

Cynthia thought of Sandy's moan over the baby-things of the factory and
her eyes filled. She did not know, perhaps Sandy did not understand,