yrd would have gone on and planned some
kind of a career of blind genius for Lovelace Peyton while waiting to
see if he was to lose his eyes, if the Idol hadn't come into the hall
at that moment.

He moved Roxanne over and sat down between us and began to talk
seriously to us, like I was a valued member of the Byrd family.

"I have just had a long talk with Dr. Hughes, and he says that
Lovelace Peyton will have to have a specialist examine his eyes and
direct the treatment, if the sight is to be saved. We will have to
think up a plan to get a great doctor from Cincinnati down to
Byrdsville, Tennessee."

"But it will cost so much and where--?" Roxanne stopped quickly for
fear of hurting the Idol's feelings and not from my presence. One of
the great things about the Byrds is that they can forget riches in
such a way as not even to know or realize that they haven't them.

"We'll get it," answered the Idol with his heroic look, the like of
which I do not believe a man ever owned before. "Things are going to
go straight, now that Miss Phyllis has got the bugger all happy with
the medical course again. What would all of us do without her?" He
stood up to light his pipe and his fingers trembled.

Anybody else but a great man, born of a great family like the Byrds,
would have hurt my feelings by saying apologetic things about the
tragedy between us, but the Idol just ignored it and I was made one of
them again in their trouble. Suddenly something popped into my mind
that I could do to get the money for them to save Lovelace Peyton's
eyes and not hurt the family pride. There is no doubt about it, when a
girl gets so she can ask God to help her and think at the same time,
she can find an inspiration when she needs it. I may be in trouble and
disgraced, but I've got Him on my side, and I can yet do things when
my friends have such dire needs as a doctor. I am afraid to write it
even to you, leather Louise.

Suddenly I stood up beside Mr. Douglass, and looked down at Roxanne,
and then up at him.

"Do both of you trust me enough to let me try to help if I do it with
my own brains and not--not my father's money?" I asked.

For a moment they both looked at me, and then the Idol took my hand in
his and looked me in the eyes just as square as I looked at him.

"Yes," he said in a voice that grows more wonderful the more you love
and know him, "you are one of us and you can plan with us all you are
able to."

"Yes, Phyllis;