with a sigh.

The thought of Sim Howell mocking Jim Narnay reminded her of the
latter's unfortunate family. She had been only once to the little
cottage near Pine Cove since Narnay had gone into the woods with
Trimmins and Jack Besmith.

Nor had she been able to see Dr. Poole, amid her multitudinous duties,
and ask him how the nameless little baby was getting on; although she
had at once left a note at the doctor's office asking him to call and
see the child at her expense.

The peril threatening her father and the peril threatening Nelson Haley
filled Janice Day's mind and heart so full that other interests had
been rather lost sight of during the past eventful week.

She had not seen Frank Bowman since the time they had separated on the
street corner by the drug store, late Saturday night, when she had
taken Hopewell Drugg home.

Bowman was with his railroad construction gang not far off the Lower
Middletown Road. But Janice had been going to and from school by the
Upper Road, past Elder Concannon's place, because it was dryer.

This morning, however, Frank heard her car coming, and he appeared,
plunging through the jungle, shouting to her to stop. He could
scarcely make a mistake in hailing the car, for Janice's automobile was
almost the only one that ran on this road. By summer time, however,
the boarding house people and Lem Parraday hoped that automobiles in
Polktown would be, in the words of Walky Dexter, "as thick as fleas on
a yaller hound."

Janice saw Frank Bowman coming, if she did not hear him call, and
slowed down. He strode crashingly down the hillside in his high boots,
corduroys, and canvas jacket, his face flushed with exercise and, of
course, broadly smiling. Janice liked the civil engineer immensely.
He lacked Nelson Haley's solid character and thoughtfulness; but he
always had a fund of enthusiasm on tap.

"How goes the battle, Janice?" was his cheery call, as he leaped down
into the roadway and thrust out a gloved hand to grasp hers.

"I guess, by now, Simmy Howell has learned a thing or two," she
declared, her mind on the scrimmage she had just seen.

"What?" demanded Bowman, wonderingly.

At that Janice burst into a laugh. "Oh! I am a perfect heathen. I
suppose you did not mean Marty's battle with his schoolmate. But that
was in my mind."

"What's Marty fighting about now?" asked the civil engineer, with a
puzzled smile. "And are you interested in such sparring encounte