s. Paterno led the way stumbling
and running. Her face was flushed a deep, threatening crimson and her
breath came fast. By the arm she held little Pietro, who from
exhaustion had ceased to scream and merely gave a gulping moan when the
gravel scraped his bare knees as his mother jerked him along regardless
of whether he was on his feet or whether she dragged him. Behind them
at some distance came Mrs. Tsanoff carrying her baby in her arms--one
of the twins that always seemed to be merely "holding on to life by the
tips of its fingers," to use Gertrude's expression, and now seemed to
have lost even that frail hold. It lay in its mother's arms white and
with its eyes closed.

Mrs. Schuler ran to meet the Italian woman and lifted the worn child
into her arms where he sank against her shoulder as if in a faint.

"Run up in the grove and get Dr. Watkins and Miss Gertrude," Helen said
to Roger. "Ask them quietly to come here. Don't frighten the women."

Roger dashed away, his swift feet slowing to a walk as he neared the
bit of woods where he delivered his message in an undertone. Ethel
Blue meanwhile, had rushed into the house to tell Moya to heat plenty
of water and to crack some ice, and Margaret had opened Mrs. Schuler's
closet of simple remedies and found the bottle of aromatic spirits of
ammonia. Ethel Brown and James ran to meet Mrs. Tsanoff, Ethel taking
the baby from her and James steadying her shaking steps by a stout arm
under her elbow.

As Dr. Watkins ran around the corner of the house he came upon Helen
trying to help Mrs. Paterno, who was pushing her away with both hands,
while she kept looking over her shoulder and screaming hysterically.
Edward seized her hands and commanded her attention at once by speaking
to her in Italian. Although she did not know him she responded to his
command to tell him of what she was afraid, and poured out a story of
terror. "_Mano, nera, mano nera_--the Black Hand," she repeated over
and over again, and Edward, who had heard her history, realized that
something she had seen had set her mind in the old train of thought.
While Miss Merriam attended to the children he calmed the woman and
then turned her over to Mrs. Schuler with instructions to put her to
bed in a darkened room and to see that some one stayed with her or just
outside her door.

Fortunately for the doctor his experience with the people among whom
his father worked in his East Side chapel had given hi