the finest that money could buy, while she
seemed as if a rough wind never had touched her. She appeared so frail
that Kate feared to let her sleep without knowing where to locate her
friends.

"She should be punished for leaving you alone among strangers," said
Kate indignantly.

"If I only could learn to mind John," sighed the little woman. "He
never liked Susette. But she was the very best maid I ever had. She
was like a loving daughter, until all at once, on the train, among
strangers, she flared out at me, and simply raved. Oh, it was dreadful!"

"And knowing you were subject to these attacks, she did the thing that
would precipitate one, and then left you alone among strangers. How
wicked! How cruel!" said Kate in tense indignation.

"John didn't want me to come. But I used to be a teacher, and I came
here when this place was mostly woods, with my dear husband. Then after
he died, through the long years of poverty and struggle, I would read
of the place and the wonderful meetings, but I could never afford to
come. Then when John began to work and made good so fast I was dizzy
half the time with his successes, I didn't think about the place. But
lately, since I've had everything else I could think of, something
possessed me to come back here, and take a suite among the women and
men who are teaching our young people so wonderfully; and to sail on
the lake, and hear the lectures, and dream my youth over again. I
think that was it most of all, to dream my youth over again, to try to
relive the past."

"There now, you have told me all about it," said Kate, stroking the
white forehead in an effort to produce drowsiness, "close your eyes and
go to sleep."

"I haven't even BEGUN to tell you," said the woman perversely. "If I
talked all night I couldn't tell you about John. How big he is, and
how brave he is, and how smart he is, and how he is the equal of any
business man in Chicago, and soon, if he keeps on, he will be worth as
much as some of them--more than any one of his age, who has had a lot
of help instead of having his way to make alone, and a sick old mother
to support besides. No, I couldn't tell you in a week half about John,
and he didn't want me to come. If I would come, then he wanted me to
wait a few days until he finished a deal so he could bring me, but the
minute I thought of it I was determined to come; you know how you get."

"I know how badly you want to do a thing you have set yo