m a smattering of
many languages and he was able to make out from Mrs. Tsanoff, although
her fright and fatigue had made her forget almost all the English she
knew, what had terrified her companion. They had gone to the
stationery shop of the Englishman who also sold ice cream and soda, she
said, and they had had each a glass of soda and the children had each
had an ice cream cone.

Edward groaned and over his shoulder directed Delia to run and tell
Miss Merriam that both babies had had ice cream cones. "It will help
her to know what to do until I come," he explained.

Just as they were coming out of the store a dark man who looked like an
Italian had passed them.

So far as she noticed he had paid no attention to them, but Mrs.
Paterno had seized her arm, pointing after him, and then had picked up
Pietro and started to run toward home. Neither far nor fast could she
go in such heat with such a burden and the poor little chap was soon
tossed down and forced to run with giant strides all the rest of the
eternal mile that stretched between Rosemont and Rose House. Mrs.
Tsanoff herself had followed as fast as she could because she was
afraid that something, she knew not what, would happen to her friend.

She, too, was sent to bed, with Moya standing over her to lay cool
compresses on her eyes, to sponge her wrists and ankles with cool water
and to lay an occasional bit of cracked ice on her parched lips.

The condition of the two children was pitiable. The heat, the sudden
chill from the ice cream and the terrible homeward rush sent them both
so nearly into a collapse that the doctor, Mrs. Schuler and Miss
Merriam worked over them all night, resting only when Dr. Hancock, who
had heard the story from James and Margaret and came up to see the
state of affairs, relieved them for an hour.

"How are we ever going to teach them the madness of such behavior?"
Gertrude asked wearily as Dr. Watkins insisted that she and Mrs.
Schuler should go to bed as the dawn broke.

"The poor little Italian woman is almost mad already, thanks to this
Black Hand business. It will take her a long time to recover her
balance, but I think I can teach the others a lesson from this
experience of their friends. Wait till to-morrow comes and hear me
talk five languages at once," he promised cheerfully as he turned her
over to Mrs. Schuler.

CHAPTER VIII

SOME ENTERTAINMENT

The escapade of the Italian and Bulgarian women playe