artook with relish of coffee, toast, and jam that selfsame day,
so rapidly had her state improved by evening. It was after this last
meal, she being vastly strengthened by the food and drink, that she
received Albert's messages from his mother--rather, that she cut them
short.

"No, Albert, your ma shan't keep on feeling bad. She was right. It was
all in my mind. All disease is in the mind, I guess. But I wasn't
putting it on--"

"Oh, she _knows_; she didn't mean--"

"We didn't, either of us, mean all we said; the truth is, I felt so bad
and so hungry I couldn't see straight, anyway; and as to Dr. Abbie
Cruller, I guess your mother wasn't far out. She said I never had had a
well day since I knew that woman, and I do believe that's so; but I've
got a wonderful new doctor now; don't charge a cent; and you tell your
mother to come over and see me and stay to tea. My hand's out making
blueberry cake, but I'm going to try."

But this interview was hours after Doris Keith and the Conners had
driven away. Mrs. Conner gave her husband a graphic account of the
"miracle." "Ann Bigelow will have it's no less," says she.

"Thing pleased me," chuckles Conner, wrinkling his eyes out of sight in
his ironic enjoyment--"thing pleased me was the way she'd go on 'bout
Miss Keith's eyes piercing her right through, after Miss Keith had
practysed them eyes on you 'n' me all the evening, jest from my
description of that Indian doctor. Well, she done it well; but I wish I
could have seen it!"

"Will Mrs. Darter keep right on and not back-slide, think?" said Mrs.
Conner.

"I think she will," said Doris; "I hope she will. And there's one thing:
after I'm gone (I shall have to run away from my reputation) you must
own up about your ankle--and _me_ to Miss Darter and poor, trusting Miss
Bigelow. She's such a good soul! Mrs. Darter--well, you will know when
it's safe to tell Mrs. Darter."

"Humph!" said Conner, "Emmy'll be grateful! I guess we'll go slow on the
Widow Darter; and as to Ann Bigelow--"

"I do feel sneaky about her," sighed Doris. "It's touching, her faith.
She's a simple-hearted creature. I hate to uproot her."

"Oh, you needn't be afraid," said Conner, grinning; "she won't be
uprooted. She will say it's jest as much mental healing as if you done
it in earnest. And ain't Mrs. Darter healed? she'll say."

"Well," Doris mused aloud, "I dare say she's right. It certainly was a
mental healing, and how far the power of the mi