you. Your brother Jack is
still in India with his regiment, but will soon retire and come home.
Your sister Helen and her husband are I know not where. Mowbray turned
out very badly, as your father believed he would, and he had to run from
his creditors, and the enemies he had made through his dishonest
practices. I don't know where they are, but it is my belief that they
have gone to America. I wonder if you will ever run across them? If you
do, tell Helen to leave the beast and come home, and both her father and
I will forgive, and she can take her place here as if she had never met
him. And this leads me to tell you that your father has greatly changed
since you left us, and has even said that he was sorry for his
harshness, and wished you had stayed with us. We are very lonely with
all of our children away from us. Come back to your mother, and all will
be different."

There were many expressions of mother love in the letter, which was
signed and dated from The Towers, Huntingdon, several years before.

After reading the letter Ted passed it to the major without comment, and
walked to the window, that he might not be a witness to his emotion.

He was now very sure that by the strangest of circumstances Major
Caruthers had come across a bit of personal history, and that it was
giving him a heart-tearing experience.

In a moment he heard the sound of a sob behind him, followed by others,
which, however, subsided gradually, and he heard his name called.

Ted came to where the major sat on the side of the bed, holding the
photograph in his hand.

"It is the picture of my sister," he said quietly, for he was now the
master of his emotions.

"Then Farnsworth is your brother," said Ted.

"Yes, my brother, poor chap," answered the major, gulping down a sob.

"It is strange, very strange," muttered Ted, almost to himself. "I felt
sure you were related, there was such a strong resemblance between you."

"I didn't notice it. Why didn't you speak of it?"

"Farnsworth knew that you were his brother, and I have no doubt he would
have made himself known to you had he not been compelled to flee before
the deputy marshals. I know that he was deeply affected at meeting you,
and saw that he hesitated to make himself known."

"I didn't know him. I had not seen Fred since he was a little boy, when
I went into the service. Then he went away to school, and I to India. I
am much older than he, so we did not meet. When I retur