"Dear old Dad," said Charles Rideout, affectionately. "You are tired
out. You've been doing too much, sir, you want sleep and rest."

"Surely--surely," said his father, a little heavily. Father and son
shook hands with Jim and Anne, and the older man said gravely, "God
bless you both!" as he and his son went down the wet path, in the shaft
of light from the hall door. At the gate the boy put his arm tenderly
about his father's shoulders.

"Oh, Anne, Anne," said her husband as she clung to him when the door
was shut, "I couldn't live one day without YOU, my dearest! But
don't--don't cry. Don't let it make you blue,--he HAD his happiness,
you know,--he has his children left!"

Anne tightened her arms about his neck.

"I am crying a little for sorrow, Jim, dearest!" she sobbed, burying
her face in his shoulder. "But I believe it is mostly--mostly for joy
and gratitude, Jim!"

THE TIDE-MARSH

"What are you going to wear to-night in case you CAN go, Mary Bell?"
said Ellen Brewster in her lowest tones.

"Come upstairs and I'll show you," said Mary Bell Barber, glancing, as
they tiptoed out of the room, toward the kitchen's sunny big west
window, where the invalid mother lay in uneasy slumber.

"My new white looks grand," said Ellen on the stairs. "I made it
empire."

Mary Bell said nothing. She opened the door of her spacious bare
bedroom, where tree shadows lay like a pattern on the faded carpet, and
the sinking sun found worn places in the clean white curtains. On the
bed lay a little ruffled pink gown, a petticoat foamy with lace, white
stockings, and white slippers. Mary Bell caught up the gown and held
the shoulders against her own, regarding the older girl meanwhile with
innocent, exultant eyes. Ellen was impressed.

"Well, for pity's sake--if you haven't done wonders with that dress!"
she ejaculated admiringly. "What on earth did you do to it?"

"Well--first I thought it was too far gone," confessed Mary Bell,
laying it down tenderly, "and I wished I hadn't been in such a hurry to
get my new hat. But I ripped it all up and washed it, and I took these
little roses off my year-before-last hat, and got a new pattern,--and I
tell you I WORKED! Wait until you see it on! I just finished pressing
it this afternoon."

"Oh, say--I hope you can go now, after all this!" said Ellen, earnestly.

The other girl's face clouded.

"I'll never get over it if I don't!" she said. "It seems to me I never
wanted