eron hesitated to be more specific.

"Oh, there's nothin' eatin' them. I don't bother with them much." Mandy
was desperately twisting her white cotton gloves.

At this point the nurse, with a final warning to the patient not to talk
too much and not to excite himself, left the room. In a moment Mandy's
whole manner changed.

"Say!" she cried in a hurried voice; "Perkins is left."

"Left?"

"I couldn't jist stand him after--after--that night. Dad wanted him to
stay, but I couldn't jist stand him, and so he quit."

"Quit?"

"I jist hate him since--since--that night. When I think of what he done
I could kill him. My, I was glad to see him lyin' there in the dust!"
Mandy's words came hot and fast. "They might 'a killed you." For the
first time in the interview she looked fairly into Cameron's eyes. "My,
you do look awful!" she said, with difficulty commanding her voice.

"Nonsense, Mandy! You see, it wasn't my leg that hurt me. It was the
fever that pulled me down."

"Oh, I'll never forget that night!" cried Mandy, struggling to keep her
lips from quivering.

"Nor will I ever forget what you did for me that night, Mandy. Sam told
me all about it. I shall always be your friend."

For a moment longer she held him with her eyes. Then her face grew
suddenly pale and, with voice and hands trembling, she said:

"I must go. Good-by."

He took her great red hand in his long thin fingers.

"Good-by, Mandy, and thank you."

"My!" she said, looking down at the fingers she held in her hand. "Your
hands is awful thin. Are you sure goin' to git better?"

"Of course I am, and I am coming out to see you before I go."

She sat down quickly, still holding his hand, as if he had struck her a
heavy blow.

"Before you go? Where?" Her voice was hardly above a whisper; her face
was white, her lips beyond her control.

"Out West to seek my fortune." His voice was jaunty and he feigned not
to see her distress. "I shall be walking in a couple of weeks or so, eh,
nurse?"

"A couple of weeks?" replied the nurse, who had just entered. "Yes, if
you are good."

Mandy hastily rose.

"But if you are not," continued the nurse severely, "it may be months.
Stay, Miss Haley, I am going to bring Mr. Cameron his afternoon tea and
you can have some with him. Indeed, you look quite done up. I am sure
all that work you have been telling me about is too much for you."

Her kindly tones broke the last shred of Mandy's self-control. She s