er devoted friends.

Their evenings were divided between making plans for these unfortunates
and reading aloud from the Bible or other books.

When Polly gained courage, Douglas sometimes persuaded her to read to
him--and the little corrections that he made at these times soon became
noticeable in her manner of speech. She was so eager, so starved for
knowledge, that she drank it as fast as he could give it. It was during
their talks about grammar that Mandy generally fell asleep in her
rocker, her unfinished sewing still in her lap.

When a letter came from Jim and Toby, it was always shared equally by
Mandy and Hasty, Polly and the pastor. But at last a letter came from
Jim only, and Douglas, who was asked to read it, faltered and stopped
after the first few words.

"It's no use my tryin' to keep it from you any longer, Poll," the letter
began, "we ain't got Toby with us no more. He didn't have no accident,
it wasn't that. He just seemed kinder sick and ailin' like, ever since
the night we had to leave you behind. I used to get him warm drinks and
things, and try to pull 'im through, but he was always a-chillin' and
a-achin'. If it wasn't one thing the matter, it was another. I done
all I knowed you'd a-wanted me to, an' the rest of the folks was mighty
white to him, too. I guess they kinder felt how lonesome he was. He
couldn't get no more laughs in the show, so Barker had to put on another
man with him. That kinder hurt him too--I s'pose--an' showed him the
way that things was a-goin'. It was just after that, he wrote the parson
a-tellin' him to never let you come back. He seemed to a' got an idee in
his head that you was happier where you was. He wouldn't let me tell ye
'bout his feelin' so rocky, 'cause he thought it might mebbe make you
come back. 'She's diff'runt from us,' he was allus a-sayin'. 'I never
'spected to keep 'er.'"

Douglas stopped. Polly was waiting, her face white and drawn. He had not
told her of Toby's letter, because with it had come a request to "say
nothin' to the kid."

He felt that Polly was controlling herself with an effort until he
should reach the end of Jim's letter, so he hurried on.

"The parson's promise didn't get to him none too quick," he read. "That
seemed to be what he was waitin' for. He give up the night it come, and
I got him a little room in a hotel after the show, and let one of the
other fellers get the stuff out o' town, so's I could stay with him up
to the finis