t I mean. You know that I don't want to be the grandfather of
Liz Trott's grandchild, and I won't--I won't if there is a just God in
heaven. When Tilly is through that work send her to me."

"I'll do nothing of the sort," the woman said. "She is my child, as well
as yours, and you'd better let well enough alone."

"What do you mean?" he growled, his grisly brows meeting, the old
fanatical gleams in his eyes.

"I mean what I say," was the retort, deliberately delivered. "She was a
child when she left us--she is a full-grown woman now. A woman don't
live with a man even three or four days and remain the same as she was
before. If you take my advice you won't nag her over this. I don't like
her looks. She took the news of the divorce too quiet-like to suit me."

"Oh, that's it!" Whaley said, seriously, the flare in his eyes dying
out. "That's what you are afraid of. You think she might give us the
slip and get back to that scoundrel, divorce or no divorce. Well"--and
he continued to frown--"that would be bad--that would be making a bad
matter worse. I see your point, and you may be right. At any rate, I'll
hold up for a while. Yes, yes, I'll hold up."

"I think you'd better," was the answer, as the speaker turned back into
the house.

CHAPTER XXXV

The next day, in the afternoon, when Eperson had alighted from the
train, he met his sister waiting for him in the buggy. "I got your
message," she said, as he hurriedly approached her, brushing the dust of
travel from his hat, "and here I am. What can I do to help poor Tilly?"

"Come with me to her," he said, sadly. "It may give me an opportunity to
see her alone. I have already heard what was done at court, but I have
even worse news for her."

He hurriedly explained as they drove along. He had met Cavanaugh and the
astounded contractor had told him of John and Dora's secret departure.
The old man had wept as he said that John had taken himself away as an
obstacle to his wife's happiness, and that he evidently intended to
disappear completely and forever. As Cavanaugh saw it, John had taken
Dora with him to rescue the child from a fate similar to his own, which
was a grand and noble thing to do, "especially," the contractor had
added with a gulp, "when the poor boy was already loaded down with
troubles of his own."

"It will break Tilly's heart--it may kill her!" Martha Jane declared,
with strong emotion. "Poor thing!"

Just before reaching Whaley's Joel s