mself.

His surprise as he opened the door knew no bounds. "Why, Jennie!"
he exclaimed. "How delightful! I was thinking of you. Come
in--come in."

He welcomed her with an eager embrace.

"I was coming out to see you, believe me, I was. I was thinking all
along how I could straighten this matter out. And now you come. But
what's the trouble?"

He held her at arm's length and studied her distressed face. The
fresh beauty of her seemed to him like cut lilies wet with dew.

He felt a great surge of tenderness.

"I have something to ask you," she at last brought herself to say.
"My brother is in jail. We need ten dollars to get him out, and I
didn't know where else to go."

"My poor child!" he said, chafing her hands. "Where else should you
go? Haven't I told you always to come to me? Don't you know, Jennie, I
would do anything in the world for you?"

"Yes," she gasped.

"Well, then, don't worry about that any more. But won't fate ever
cease striking at you, poor child? How did your brother come to get in
jail?"

"They caught him throwing coal down from the cars," she
replied.

"Ah!" he replied, his sympathies touched and awakened. Here was
this boy arrested and fined for what fate was practically driving him
to do. Here was this girl pleading with him at night, in his room, for
what to her was a great necessity--ten dollars; to him, a mere
nothing. "I will arrange about your brother," he said quickly. "Don't
worry. I can get him out in half an hour. You sit here now and be
comfortable until I return."

He waved her to his easy-chair beside a large lamp, and hurried out
of the room.

Brander knew the sheriff who had personal supervision of the county
jail. He knew the judge who had administered the fine. It was but a
five minutes' task to write a note to the judge asking him to revoke
the fine, for the sake of the boy's character, and send it by a
messenger to his home. Another ten minutes' task to go personally to
the jail and ask his friend, the sheriff, to release the boy then and
there.

"Here is the money," he said. "If the fine is revoked you can
return it to me. Let him go now."

The sheriff was only too glad to comply. He hastened below to
personally supervise the task, and Bass, a very much astonished boy,
was set free. No explanations were vouchsafed him.

"That's all right now," said the turnkey. "You're at liberty. Run
along home and don't let them catch you at anything like that
again."