Uncle William

at the foot of the cliff. Uncle William turned back once to look at her. Then he pursued his way up the rocky cliff. He had not heard from the a

table. He spread the letter before him, resting his elbows on the table and bending above it laboriously. As he read, an anxious line came between his eyes. "Now, that's too bad-sick in bed-I want to know-Well, well! Pshaw, you needn'

tter again, spell

there is no one to look after him. His friends have tried all along to have him go to a hospital, or to let them take care of him. But until two or three weeks ago he would have times of partial recovery-days when he seemed perfectly well. So no one has guessed how really ill he is

ho, now! What does she mean by that? I

it would give him the start he needs. The fever makes him distrustful of every one, but I know that he would see you. I am inclosing a check for the trip. It is really money that belongs to him-to Alan. He gave me last year a beautiful present-something far too expensive for him to give; an

erely

IA LV

d the letter with the blue slip to the envelope and stowed it away in his pocket. He surveyed the room again, shaking his h

nge, came across, jumping into the chair beside him. She rubbed expectantly against him. He fed her bits of the herring with impartial hand. When the meal was over, he went to the ch

away, then he combed his tufts of

g the scramble for bits. "Shoo!" said Andrew, making a dash for a big cochin-china.

thin' to talk over wi

ind the barn,

se of the bay in the distance, William d

"From that p

it's about him. He's in

een doin'?"

sick," said Willi

ndy's f

liam. He drew the letter from its

ter of him?" sa

am studied

, and then runs again. We had it once-don't you remember?-the whole crew, that time we

the bay. "How d' you kno

's the same-not just t

" Andy whi

ia says.-Didn't I j

thin'," said Andy. He

s goin' to marry

uh

Andrew digested the morsel. "When they

d. "That's jest it, Andy. T

sily. "What'd she

u'll give me time. She th

. "You hain't got the me

-"but I can get it, mebbe.

You!" Andy l

the thing myself, but she says he kind o' needs me. Keeps askin' for me when the fever is on, and don't seem to ge

The green light was daw

t. "It's jest a sick ma

goin'?"

out day afte

cost

now

t, I s'pose?"

it," said

her away. He was very ne

aid a hand on his knee. "I was goin' t

le. "You don't hev t

eded much-livin' alone so. You don't know how 't is

bt she needs me this minute-pail o' wat

ocking a surprised eye at them. William regarded her thoughtfully. "When a man's alone, there ain't much he can do for folks," he sa

y do," gru

talkin' about? How'd I ever keep a cow? What'd I do with the milk? I couldn't ea

rnfully on a bi

"We'll go down and draw out the

I dunno as I can let you

and I'm goin' to pay you six per cent. How much

alf," said An

e, I give you six. So there's

and a half and fed on it awhile. "I

m spoke soothingly. "She don't agree with y

n silence. "You'll give me a mortgage?

was roused. "No, sir, I don

to ask for a mortgage. What if anything should happen to ye-down

it. I'm goin' to be careful. I shan

neither,"

hile I'm gone. Why, 't wouldn't ever be lik

d. "What you talki

tle puzzled. "I dunno jest what I did start to say," he said ap

ok here, Willum, a mortgage is fair. It

u with a mortgage. You might get scared and foreclose some day if I couldn

acred rights. Andy had tried in the night watches to formulate a note. He had selected the best, from a row of cr

smile. "You've done the right thing, Andy, and I shall pay you

s those without hope, but with a chastened expectancy. To

additional burden. "Remember, Andy," Uncle William called to him as the boat moved away, "she don'

g up a menu three times a day that did not include fish and potato for a magnificent creature like Juno weighed heavily on him. He had proposed bringing her down to the house, thinking to shift the burden on to Harriet, but Uncle Willia

bed the rocky path to it and opened the door. Juno sprang down from her lounge. When she saw who it was she gave an indifferent lick to her front leg, as if she always jumped down to lick

his hand across his eyes and got up. He went over and stood by the lounge, peering out. The smoke was gone. Juno turned her head and blinked an eye or two, indifferent. She ignored him pointedly. Her gaze returned to the s