Up in one corner was the printed
name of an Omaha firm. I never said nothin', but I sartinly hustled on
my way up the hill.

"Olive was in her little settin' room back of the shop. She was pretty
pale, and her eyes looked as if she hadn't been doin' much sleepin'
lately. Likewise I noticed--and it give me a queer feelin' inside--that
her trunk was standin', partly packed, in the corner."

"The poor woman!" exclaimed Mrs. Phinney.

"Yes," went on her husband. "Well, I handed over the letter and started
to go, but she told me to set down and rest, 'cause I was so out of
breath. To tell you the truth, I was crazy to find out what was in that
envelope and, being as she'd give me the excuse, I set.

"She took the letter over to the lamp and looked at it for much as
a minute, as if she was afraid to open it. But at last, and with her
fingers shakin' like the palsy, she fetched a long breath and tore off
the end of the envelope. It was a pretty long letter, and she read it
through. I see her face gettin' whiter and whiter and, when she reached
the bottom of the last page, the letter fell onto the floor. Down went
her head on her arms, and she cried as if her heart would break. I never
felt so sorry for anybody in my life.

"'Don't, Mrs. Edwards,' I says. 'Please don't. That cousin of yours is
a darn ungrateful scamp, and I'd like to have my claws on his neck this
minute.'

"She never even asked me how I knew about the cousin. She was too much
upset for that.

"'Oh! oh!' she sobs. 'What SHALL I do? Where shall I go? I haven't got a
friend in the world!'

"I couldn't stand that. I went acrost and laid my hand on her shoulder.

"'Mrs. Edwards,' says I, 'you mustn't say that. You've got lots of
friends. I'm your friend. Mr. Hilton's your friend. Yes, and there's
another, the best friend of all. If it weren't for him, you'd have been
turned out into the street long before this.'"

Mrs. Phinney nodded. "I'm glad you told her!" she exclaimed. "She'd
ought to know."

"That's what I thought," said Simeon.

"Well, she raised her head then and looked at me.

"'You mean Mr. Williams?' she asks.

"That riled me up. 'Williams nothin'!' says I. 'Williams let you stay
here 'cause he could just as well as not. If he'd known that this other
friend was keepin' him from gettin' here, just on your account, he'd
have chucked you to glory, promise or no promise. But this friend, this
real friend, he don't count cost, nor trouble,