tedly, "Brander's dead!"

He held up the newspaper, on the first column of Which was printed
in heavy block type:

DEATH OF EX-SENATOR BRANDER

Sudden Passing of Ohio's Distinguished Son. Succumbs to Heart Failure
at the Arlington, in Washington.

Recent attack of typhoid, from which he was thought to be recovering,
proves fatal. Notable phases of a remarkable career.

Jennie looked at it in blank amazement. "Dead?" she exclaimed.

"There it is in the paper," returned Bass, his tone being that of
one who is imparting a very interesting piece of news. "He died at ten
o'clock this morning."

CHAPTER IX

Jennie took the paper with but ill-concealed trembling and went
into the adjoining room. There she stood by the front window and
looked at it again, a sickening sensation of dread holding her as
though in a trance.

"He is dead," was all that her mind could formulate for the time,
and as she stood there the voice of Bass recounting the fact to
Gerhardt in the adjoining room sounded in her ears. "Yes, he is dead,"
she heard him say; and once again she tried to get some conception of
what it meant to her. But her mind seemed a blank.

A moment later Mrs. Gerhardt joined her. She had heard Bass's
announcement and had seen Jennie leave the room, but her trouble with
Gerhardt over the Senator had caused her to be careful of any display
of emotion. No conception of the real state of affairs ever having
crossed her mind, she was only interested in seeing how Jennie would
take this sudden annihilation of her hopes.

"Isn't it too bad?" she said, with real sorrow. "To think that he
should have to die just when he was going to do so much for
you--for us all."

She paused, expecting some word of agreement, but Jennie remained
unwontedly dumb.

"I wouldn't feel badly," continued Mrs. Gerhardt. "It can't be
helped. He meant to do a good deal, but you mustn't think of that now.
It's all over, and it can't be helped, you know."

She paused again, and still Jennie remained motionless and mute.
Mrs. Gerhardt, seeing how useless her words were, concluded that
Jennie wished to be alone, and she went away.

Still Jennie stood there, and now, as the real significance of the
news began to formulate itself into consecutive thought, she began to
realize the wretchedness of her position, its helplessness. She went
into her bedroom and sat down upon the side of the bed, from which
position she saw a very pale, distraugh