he curt refusal on the girl's tongue was hushed, and instead she
said, "Come, then; only don't stay long," and led the way to the dreary
room where Jem lay. A wan smile flitted across his face at sight of his
guest, and he murmured:

"Howdy, Kit; do you know, I guess I'll get my wish, after all, and fly
away like the luck-birds."

With a low cry, however, the older lad threw himself down beside the
bed, and sobbed: "No, no, Limpy; don't say that. You must stop and be
comfortable and happy here, for see, this is yours, all yours"; and he
flung upon the patchwork quilt the roll of bills paid him by Mrs.
Landon.

Jem gasped. "What a big, big lot of money! It's the reward, isn't
it--the reward for the diamond? But you mustn't give it to me."

"It belongs to you. I never had any right to the diamond, for--for I
found it on your side of the stake, and buried it in my part of the
beach."

[Illustration: THEN JEM WHISPERED: "POOR KIT! BUT I'M GLAD YOU'VE TOLD
ME."]

After this confession there was dead silence for a moment. Then Jem
whispered: "Poor Kit! But I'm glad you've told me."

"So am I; though the beach-combers will hiss me out of their company
when they know. Here's the hundred and fifty dollars, however, every
penny of it; and you, Eileen, must spend it all for your brother"; and
he thrust the greenbacks into that astonished maiden's hands.

But Jemmy protested with all his feeble strength, "I cannot, I will not
take it all," he said. "You were the finder, even if it was in my
portion of sand. But we will divide, half for you and half for me, and
then the other fellows need never know. It shall be our secret." And as
he was growing dangerously excited, to this arrangement Kit had to
consent.

Before leaving, though, he told the sick boy and his sister of the
marvellous cures Dr. Landon was said to have made, and of the fair
cripple he had seen in his office, concluding with, "Now, Jem, if you
could go to his hospital, mebbe science would work some of those wonders
on you."

"Oh, if he could, if he only could!" sighed Eileen.

Hope, however, is a great restorative, and the following day Jem was
stronger than he had been for some time, which encouraged Kit to take
another trip to New York, where he astonished Dr. Landon by suddenly
appearing before him and demanding, "Tell me, sir, is seventy-five
dollars enough to put a chap in your hospital and get him cured.'"

"Well, that depends," laughed Dr. Landon