ow,
sweet, painful smile intermingled with her agony. Again and again the
memory of the words, "He hath given his angels charge over thee,"
swelled her heart to the breaking point. She wanted to believe, to
feel again that ecstatic faith which had suffused her as Maudlin Bates
pulled her curls in the marsh, when she had called unto the Infinite
and Theodore had answered.

Peg needed Lafe's angels at that moment. They all needed the comfort
of the cobbler's faith.

"Peg," she began, "your man'd tell you something sweet if he could see
you now."

Peg ceased writhing, but didn't lift her face. Jinnie knew she was
listening, and continued:

"Haven't you heard him many a time, when there wasn't any wood in the
house or any bread to eat, tell you about--about----"

Down dropped the woman's hands, and she lifted a woebegone face to her
young questioner.

"Yes, I've heard him, Jinnie," she quavered, "but I ain't never
believed it!"

"But you can, Peggy! You can, sure! Lots of times Lafe'd say, 'Now,
Jinnie, watch God and me!' And I watched, and sure right on the minute
came the money." She paused a moment, ruminating. "That money we got
the day he went away came because he prayed for it."

The girl was reverently earnest.

"Lafe's got a chance, all right," she pursued, keeping Peg's eye.
"More'n a chance, if--if--if----Oh, Peggy, we've got to pray!"

"I don't know how," said Peg, in stifled tones.

Jinnie's face lighted with a mental argument Lafe had thrown at her
in her moments of distrust. She was deep in despondency, but something
had to be done.

"Peg, you don't need to know anything about it. I didn't when I came
here. Lafe says----"

"What'd Lafe say?" cut in Peggy.

"That you must just tell God about it----" Jinnie lifted a white,
lovely face. "He's everywhere--not away off," she proceeded. "Talk to
Him just like you would to Lafe or me."

Mrs. Grandoken sunk lower in her chair.

"I wisht I'd learnt when Lafe was here. Now I dunno how."

"But will you try?" Jinnie pleaded after a little.

"You know 'em better'n I do, Jinnie," Peg muttered, dejectedly. "You
ask if it'll do any good."

Jinnie cleared her throat, coughed, and murmured:

"Close your eyes, Bobbie."

Bobbie shut his lids with a gulping sob, and so did Peg.

Then Jinnie began in a low, constrained voice:

"God and your angels hovering about Lafe, please send him back to the
shop. Get him out of jail, and don't let anybody hurt h