e. "No-o, he ain't alone. She's there."

"She? Who? Keziah Coffin?"

"I don't cal'late Keziah's heard it yet. We was waitin' for you 'fore we
said much to anybody. But she's there--the--the one that found him. You
see, he was out of his head and wanderin' up the lane 'most to the main
road and she'd been callin' on Keziah and when she come away from the
parsonage she heard him hollerin' and goin' on and--"

"Who did?"

"Why"--the lightkeeper glanced at his companions--"why, doc, 'twas Grace
Van Horne. And she fetched him back to the shanty and then come and got
me to telegraph you."

"Grace Van Horne! Grace Van--Do you mean to say she is there with him
NOW?"

"Yes. She wouldn't leave him. She seemed 'most as crazy's he was. My
wife and me, we--"

But Parker did not wait to hear the rest. He ran at full speed to the
door of the shanty. Grace herself opened it.

"How is he?" demanded the doctor.

"I think he seems a little easier; at any rate, he's not delirious. He's
in there. Oh, I'm so thankful you've come."

"Is that the doctor?" called Ellery weakly from the next room. "Is it?"

"Yes," replied Parker, throwing off his coat and hat. "Coming, Mr.
Ellery."

"For God's sake, doctor, send her away. Don't let her stay. Make her go.
Make her GO! I've got the smallpox and if she stays she will die. Don't
you understand? she MUST go."

"Hush, John," said Grace soothingly. "Hush, dear."

Dr. Parker stopped short and looked at her. She returned the look, but
without the slightest semblance of self-consciousness or embarrassment.
She did not realize that she had said anything unusual, which must
sound inexplicably strange to him. Her thoughts were centered in that
adjoining room and she wondered why he delayed.

"Well?" she asked impatiently. "What is it? Why do you wait?"

The doctor did not answer. However, he waited no longer, but hurried in
to his new patient.

CHAPTER XVIII

IN WHICH KEZIAH DECIDES TO FIGHT

The news was flying from house to house along the main road. Breakfasts
were interrupted as some neighbor rushed in to tell the story which
another neighbor had brought to him or her. Mr. Ellery was very sick
and it was feared he had the smallpox, that was what Mrs. Parker, the
doctor's wife, told those who lived near her. By the time the Corners
heard of it the tale had grown until the minister was said to be dying.
And when it reached Gaius Winslow's home at the upper end of the town he
w