followed her; but little Lu's voice was heard in plaintive notes.
Bee returned to the room to find her little sister lying awake with
wide-open, frightened eyes.

"Oh, Bee! don't do! and don't let she tome bat. She stares Lu!"

"Shall Bee take Lu up and rock her to sleep?"

"'Es."

Bee gently lifted the little one and sat down in the rocking-chair and
began to rock slowly and sing softly. But presently she stopped and
whispered:

"Baby!"

"'Es, Bee."

"Do you love cousin Claudia?"

"'Es, but she wates me up and stares me; don't let she tome adain, Bee."

"No, I will not; but poor Claudia is not happy; won't you ask the Lord
to bless poor Claudia? He hears little children like you!"

"'Es; tell me what to say, Bee." And without another word the little one
slid down upon her knees and folded her hands, while Bee taught the
sinless child to pray for the sinful woman.

And then she took the babe again upon her lap, and rocked slowly and
sung softly until she soothed her to sleep.

Then Bee arose and rustled softly about the room, making her simple
toilet before going to the saloon to join the guests.

CHAPTER LXV.

ISHMAEL'S WOE.

And with another's crime, my birth
She taunted me as little worth,
Because, forsooth, I could not claim
The lawful heirship of my name;
Yet were a few short summers mine,
My name should more than ever shine,
With honors all my own!

--_Byron_.

Ishmael sat in the shadows of his room overwhelmed with shame and sorrow
and despair. He had heard every cruel word; they had entered his ears
and pierced his heart. And not only for himself he bowed his head and
sorrowed and despaired, but for her; for her, proud, selfish, sinful,
but loving, and oh, how fatally beloved!

It was not only that he worshiped her with a blind idolatry, and knew
that she returned his passion with equal strength and fervor, and that
she would have waited for him long years, and married him at last but
for the cloud upon his birth. It was not this--not his own misery that
crushed him, nor even her present wretchedness that prostrated him--no!
but it was the awful, shapeless shadow of some infinite unutterable woe
is Claudia's future, and into which she was blindly rushing, that
overwhelmed him. Oh, to have saved her from this woe, he would gladly
have laid down his life!

The door opened and Jim, his especial waiter, entered with two lighted
candles on a tray. He sat them on the