most existed only in memory now. She went on with her pictures,
summoning the family to the table, hearing Norman's answering whoop from
the woodshed, and Jack's hearty "All right! I'll be there in a jiffy,
Sis!" Then she sobbed harder than ever, remembering that her summons
could never again be answered by an unbroken circle.

Presently, exhausted by the heat, her long fast and her crying spell,
she fell into a deep sleep. The banana man passed back again under her
window, calling his wares as loudly as before, but she did not hear him.
An Italian with a hand-organ stopped in front of the house and ground
out several popular noisy airs, but no note of it reached her. There
was a dog fight on the corner, a terrific pow-wow of yelps and snarls;
still she did not stir. Two, three hours went by. Then she was aroused
by a rustling sound at her door, and opening her eyes, saw that some one
was slipping a letter under it.

She lay blinking at it lazily for a moment, then, hanging over the side
of the bed as far as she could without falling out, tried to pick it up.
It was just beyond her reach, but with the aid of a slipper she managed
to touch it and drag it near enough to get her fingers on to it.
Doubling up the pillow under her head, she lay back, leisurely scanning
the envelope. It was post-marked Lone-Rock, and she knew by a glance at
the heavily shaded flourishes of the address that it was from Pink
Upham.

Earlier in the week, when Riverville was the boundary of her interests,
a letter from him would have had scant attention. But coming at this
time, when a homesick mood brought the old life so vividly before her
that it had suddenly become very dear and desirable, she opened it
eagerly. It was the first one she had received from him, for she had
told him on leaving Lone-Rock that she could not correspond with him;
that she would be too busy with Mrs. Blythe's letters to write many of
her own.

As she glanced down the first page she saw why he had disregarded her
wishes. He had news of such great importance to himself that he
naturally expected her to take a friendly interest in it. She smiled
with pleasure as she read. Good old Pink! He deserved to have things
come his way. If she hadn't spent so much for the relief of Diamond Row,
she would have been tempted to send him a telegram of congratulation. It
would please him immensely, she knew. A mine in which he had a small
amount of stock that was regarded as alm