e of me sex in
that predicament."

"Oh, well, some people is wonderful strong in the nerve that way,"
said Mrs Bray, and Carry interjected in an aside--

"And others are mighty strong in the nerve of selfishness."

"Of course nothing would give me greater pleasure than to go,"
continued Mrs Bray, "but I would be of no use. I'm so pitiful,
sensitive, and nervous that way."

"It's a grand thing, then, that some are hard and not so sensitive, or
people could die and no one would help 'em," said Carry, no longer
able to contain her measure of Mrs Bray.

Uncle Jake had the sulky in readiness, and grandma with a collection
of requisites appeared with a great old shawl about her, Irish
fashion.

"Come you, Dawn, I might want your help, I'm not as strong as I was
once; and Andrew, you come too, you'll do to send for the doctor; an'
who'll take care of the pony?"

I volunteered, and though a rotten stick to depend on, was accepted,
and we three women rode in the sulky while Andrew ran behind. Having
arrived at the little cottage half-way between Clay's and town, we
found it was too sadly true that the poor little woman was alone in
her trouble, and worse, she had not had the means to prepare for it,
while most ghastly of all, there was no trace of her having had any
nourishment that day.

These are the sad cases of poverty, when the helpless victim is not of
the calibre which can beg, and suffers an empty larder in silence and
behind an appearance of respectability.

The capable old grandmother had prepared herself for this possibility,
and from under her capacious shawl produced a bottle of broth which
she set about warming. She may not have been at first-hand acquainted
with the few silk-wrapped lives run according to the methods scheduled
in first-class etiquette books, but she had a very resourceful and
far-seeing grip of that style of existence into which, regardless of
inclination or capability, the great majority are forced by
domineering circumstance; and being competent to grapple with its
emergencies, she took hold of this case without humbug and with the
fortitude and skill of a Japanese general.

As though the main trouble were not enough, the poor little wife was
further smitten with the two-edged mental anguish which is the
experience of sensitive women whose husbands neglect them at this
crisis of the maternal gethsemane. Doctor Smalley, who soon appeared
after receiving Andrew's message, was not suf