tified by the man's disagreeable disposition--and Mrs. Jones
hastily wrote a codicil to her will and gave it into the nurse's
keeping, with instructions to deliver it to her lawyer. Then the poor
lady over-excited, lay back and died, and the man Jason Jones--realized
that his lack of diplomacy had euchred him out of a big income for
seven years. But he put up a job with the nurse who held his fate in
her hands in the shape of scrap of paper. If she'd give him that
codicil--no! that isn't right--if she'd keep it to herself and not let
anyone know of its existence, Mr. Jones proposed to give her a share of
the money. She considered this easier than working and the bargain was
struck. Isn't that a logical chain of events, so far, Mary Louise?"

"But what a terrible thing to do, Josie!"

"Yes, human nature in its worst aspect selfishness, greed,
unscrupulousness--and still human nature. Well, the woman followed him
to New York and got some of the money, as Alora said; but the nurse
wanted more, and was likely to bleed the man more liberally than he
liked; so, being afraid of her, he ran away to Europe. Nurse spent her
money, couldn't find Jason Jones to get more, and so returned to
Chicago and practiced her profession again. Any dummy could figure that
out."

"I cannot see," responded Mary Louise, "how that accounts for Alora's
disappearance."

"Why, of course the woman knew all about the terms of the will. She was
nursing a Mrs. Tolliver in this hotel when she discovered Alora's
arrival. How she discovered it doesn't matter. In the morning, when the
day nurse arrived to take her place, she left Mrs. Tolliver and went
directly to Alora's room. The girl instantly recognized her and would
probably have a warm place in her heart for her mother's old nurse.
Decided to walk part of the way home with her so they could talk over
old times--you and the Colonel being still asleep--but was enticed to
the nurse's house and promptly locked up and held as a weapon to force
old Jones to pay up. This completes the chain. A woman who would enter
into such an ugly deal with Jason Jones as I have described would not
hesitate to capture Alora, especially as it proved an easy thing to
do."

Mary Louise drew a long breath. "If I could believe that theory,
Josie," she said, "it would relieve me of much worry, for I'd know
Alora is safe. But--what was it your father said about your
imagination?"

Josie laughed. "This isn't wholly imaginat