ously on Mark's shoulder as a white, jaunty feather appeared in
view; but no, that was not Katy, and the dim eyes ran again along the
whole line of the cars, from which so many were alighting, for that was
an eating house.

But Katy did not come, and with a long breath of wonder and
disappointment the deacon said: "Can it be she is asleep. Young
man, you are spryer than I. Go through the cars and find her."

Mark knew there was plenty of time, and so he made the tour of the cars,
but found, alas! no Katy.

"She's not there," was the report carried to the poor old man, who
tremblingly repeated his words: "Not there, not come," while over his
aged face there broke a look of touching sadness, which Mark never
forgot, remembering it always just as he remembered the big tear drops
which from his seat by the window he saw the old man wipe away with his
coat sleeve, whispering softly to Whitey of his disappointment as he
unhitched the horse and drove away alone.

"Maybe she's writ. I'll go and see," he said, and driving to their
regular office he found a letter directed by Wilford Cameron, but
written by Katy.

This last he knew, for he tore the envelope open; but he could not read
it then, and thrusting it into his pocket he went slowly back to the
home where the tempting dinner was prepared, and the family waiting
so eagerly for him. Even before he reached there they knew of the
disappointment, for from the garret window Helen had watched the road by
which he would come, and when the buggy appeared in sight she saw he was
alone.

There was a mistake; Katy had missed the train, she said to her mother
and aunts, who hoped she might be right. But Katy had not missed the
train, as was indicated by the letter which Uncle Ephraim without a word
put into Helen's hand, leaning on old Whitey's neck while she read aloud
the attempt at an explanation which Katy had hurried written, a stain on
the paper where a tear had fallen attesting her distress at the bitter
disappointment.

"Wilford did not know of the other letter," she said, "and had made
arrangements for her to go back with him to New York, inasmuch as the
house was already opened, and the servants there wanting ahead; besides
that, Wilford had been absent so long that he could not possibly stop at
Silverton himself, and as he would not think of living without her, even
for a few days, there was no alternative but for her to go with him on
the boat directly to New York