." He knew that these people did not understand him, but he
wanted an outlet for the heat within him.

There was another angry being in the room, and that was Patsy. His
eyes were full of tears that scorched him and would not fall. The
memory of many beautiful and appropriate oaths came to him; but he
dared not let his mother hear him swear. Oh! to have a stone--to be
across the street from that man!

When the physician walked out, Patsy went to the bed, took his
mother's hand, and bent over shamefacedly to kiss her. He did not know
that with that act the Recording Angel blotted out many a curious damn
of his.

The little mark of affection comforted Eliza unspeakably. The
mother-feeling overwhelmed her in one burst of tears. Then she dried
her eyes and smiled at him.

"Honey," she said; "mammy ain' gwine lay hyeah long. She be all right
putty soon."

"Nevah you min'," said Patsy with a choke in his voice. "I can do
somep'n', an' we'll have anothah doctah."

"La, listen at de chile; what kin you do?"

"I'm goin' down to McCarthy's stable and see if I kin git some horses
to exercise."

A sad look came into Eliza's eyes as she said: "You'd bettah not go,
Patsy; dem hosses'll kill you yit, des lak dey did yo' pappy."

But the boy, used to doing pretty much as he pleased, was obdurate,
and even while she was talking, put on his ragged jacket and left the
room.

Patsy was not wise enough to be diplomatic. He went right to the point
with McCarthy, the liveryman.

The big red-faced fellow slapped him until he spun round and round.
Then he said, "Ye little devil, ye, I've a mind to knock the whole
head off o' ye. Ye want harses to exercise, do ye? Well git on that
'un, an' see what ye kin do with him."

The boy's honest desire to be helpful had tickled the big, generous
Irishman's peculiar sense of humor, and from now on, instead of giving
Patsy a horse to ride now and then as he had formerly done, he put
into his charge all the animals that needed exercise.

It was with a king's pride that Patsy marched home with his first
considerable earnings.

They were small yet, and would go for food rather than a doctor, but
Eliza was inordinately proud, and it was this pride that gave her
strength and the desire of life to carry her through the days
approaching the crisis of her disease.

As Patsy saw his mother growing worse, saw her gasping for breath,
heard the rattling as she drew in the little air that kept goin