nert heap. Jimmy lay senseless, and he looked like death.
Dannie rushed down to the water with the hat, and splashed drops into
Jimmy's face until he gasped for breath. When he recovered a little, he
shrank from Dannie, and began to sob, as if he were a sick ten-year-old
child.

"I knew you'd go back on me, Dannie," he wavered. "I've lost the only
frind I've got, and I wish I was dead."

"I havena gone back on ye," persisted Dannie, bathing Jimmy's face.
"Life means nothing to me, save as I can use it fra Mary, and fra ye.
Be quiet, and sit up here, and help me work this thing out. Why are ye
a discontented mon, always wishing fra any place save home? Why do ye
spend all ye earn foolishly, so that ye are always hard up, when ye
might have affluence? Why does Mary lose her children, and why does she
noo wish she had na married ye?"

"Who said she wished she hadn't married me?" cried Jimmy.

"Do ye mean to say ye think she doesn't?" blazed Dannie.

"I ain't said anything!" exclaimed Jimmy.

"Na, and I seem to have damn poor luck gettin' ye TO say anything. I
dinna ask fra tears, nor faintin' like a woman. Be a mon, and let me
into the secret of this muddle. There is a secret, and ye know it. What
is it? Why are ye breaking the heart o' Mary Malone? Answer me, or
'fore God I'll wring the answer fra your body!"

And Jimmy keeled over again. This time he was gone so far that Dannie
was frightened into a panic, and called the doctor coming up the lane
to Jimmy before he had time to see Mary. The doctor soon brought Jimmy
around, prescribed quiet and sleep; talked about heart trouble
developing, and symptoms of tremens, and Dannie poured on water, and
gritted his teeth. And it ended by Jimmy being helped to Dannie's
cabin, undressed, and put into bed, and then Dannie went over to see
what he could do for the nurse. She looked at him searchingly.

"Mr. Macnoun, when were you last asleep?" she asked.

"I forget," answered Dannie.

"When did you last have a good hot meal?"

"I dinna know," replied Dannie.

"Drink that," said the nurse, handing him the bowl of broth she
carried, and going back to the stove for another. "When I have finished
making Mrs. Malone comfortable, I'm going to get you something to eat,
and you are going to eat it. Then you are going to lie down on that cot
where I can call you if I need you, and sleep six hours, and then
you're going to wake up and watch by this door while I sleep my six.
Ev