ng and patting the hand, gazing all the time in his face. He
stirred, and, turning his eyes toward her, awoke.

"Don't move, my darling," said she quietly, and as if she had been for a
long, long time quite in the habit of so speaking to him; "don't move,
or you'll hurt your arm." Then she bent down her head, lower and lower,
until her cheek touched his.

"I've come to sit with you, Jim, dear," said she, softly--"if you want
me--if I can do you any good."

"I want you, always," said he.

She stooped again, and this time laid her lips lingeringly on his; and
his arm stole about the slim waist.

"If you'll just get well," she whispered, "you may have me--always!"

He passed his fingers over her hair, and kissed her again and again.
Then he looked at her long and earnestly.

"Where's Al?" said he; "I want Al!"

I came forward promptly. I thought that this violation of the doctor's
regulation requiring rest and quiet had gone quite far enough.

"Al," said he, still holding her hand, "do you remember out there by the
windmill tower that night, and the petunias and four-o'clocks?"

"Yes, Jim, I remember," said I. "But you mustn't talk any more now."

"No, I won't," said he, and went right on; "but even before that, and
ever since, I haven't wanted anything we've been trying so hard to get,
half as much as I've wanted Josie; and now--we lost the fight, didn't
we? Things have been slipping away from us, haven't they? Gone, aren't
they?"

"Go to sleep now, Jim," said I. "Plenty of time for those things when
you wake up."

"Yes," said he; "but before I do, I want you to tell me one thing,
honest injun, hope to die, you know!"

"Yes," said I; "what is it, Jim?"

"I've been seeing a lot of funny things in the dark corners about here;
but this seems more real than any of them," he went on; "and I want you
to tell me--_is this really Josie_?"

"Really," I assured him, "really, it is."

"Oh, Jim, Jim!" she cried, "have you learned to doubt my reality, just
because I'm kind! Why, I'm going to be good to you now, dearest, always,
always! And kinder than you ever dreamed, Jim. And I'm going to show you
that everything has not slipped away from you, my poor, poor boy; and
that, whatever may come, I shall be with you always. Only get well; only
get well!"

"Josie," said he, smiling wanly, "you couldn't kill me--now--not with an
ax!"

THE END.

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