had taken
on a marble-like cast.

The mother bent over him, moaning once more, but Lou turned upon her in
swift scorn.

"For goodness' sake, where's that tub or pan I asked you for? He's got a
chance, a _good_ chance if you don't waste any more time! What you
been givin' him, anyway?" she added, as the woman flew to do her
bidding.

"Nothing but a little green corn. He relishes it, and it's so cute to
see him try to chew it----"

"Green corn!" Lou repeated, as she seized the heavy kettle and began
pouring its steaming contents into the tub. "Ain't _nobody_ in your
family ever had any babies before?"

She hastily added to the tub a quantity of yellowish powder from a can
which she had found upon the shelf of groceries, and marched
determinedly over to the man who was seated in the chair.

"Give me that baby!" she demanded.

"But, miss, that water's boiling!" he gasped.

"You're not going to put my baby in that?" The woman came quickly from
her apathy of dismay and sprang forward, while Jim, too, advanced, his
anxiety for another reason.

"Lou! You'll blister yourself horribly----"

"Let me alone, all of you!" Lou turned upon them even as she stripped
the wrappings from the child. "Haven't I done this a hundred times? He
ain't even goin' to feel the heat of the mustard, he's so far gone! I
guess I know what I'm doin'!"

The woman buried her face in her hands with a sob, and even Jim turned
away his eyes, but no one thought to interfere further with the assured
little nurse. There was a splash of water, a little gasp from Lou, and
then after a period which seemed interminable her matter-of-fact voice
remarked:

"He's comin' round."

The tiny body was scarcely tinged with pink, but it had lost its
dreadful rigidity, and a faint cry came from it as Lou wrapped it in a
shawl and laid it in its mother's arms.

"He'll do now, anyway till that doctor comes."

Amid the rejoicing of the parents Jim advanced to Lou and demanded:

"Let me see your arms."

"They're all right--" She tried to put them behind her as she spoke, but
he drew them forward. A network of blisters covered them almost to the
shoulders.

"Oh, Lou! Lou!" he murmured brokenly. "What won't you do next?"

She smiled faintly.

"You said I'd do anything once, but I've done this lots of times
before----"

"Well, well, good people! What's going on here?" A kindly voice sounded
from the doorway, and the woman turned with a little cry.

"O