" "Ain't they nothin' to put on the baby?" asked Mavity Bence, aghast.

Mavity Bence was a widow, living at home with her father, Gideon Himes; she had one child left, a daughter; but the clothing for which she had sent was an outfit made for a son, the posthumous offspring of his father; and the babe had not lived long enough to wear it.

"Well, now, that's mighty good of you," panted worried Mavity Bence.

Has your Uncle Pros found his silver mine yet?" "My mother has often told me how good you and Mrs. Bence was to us when I was little," answered Johnnie mildly.

Mrs. Bence brought the last of the hot bread, and shuffled into a seat.

Johnnie ran into the kitchen to help Mrs. Bence get breakfast on the table, for Pap Himes was bad off this morning with a misery somewhere, and his daughter was sending word to the cotton mill to put a substitute on her looms till dinner time.

Johnnie noticed then that Mrs. Bence had a pair of cheap slippers in her lap.

"I wish't Lou was here to see you in 'em," whispered Mavity Bence.

Uncle Pros had failed to find Mavity Bence, and was returning.

Shade and Pap Himes still hovered nervously about the window, staring in and hearkening to all that was said, Mavity Bence had wept till her face was sodden.

Mavity Bence made her appearance in the doorway, her faded eyes so reddened with weeping that she looked like a woman in a fever.

She went into the kitchen with Mavity Bence, and the two women worked there at the dishes, and washing out the towels, till after nine o'clock, Johnnie's anxiety and distress mounting with every minute of delay.

Mavity Bence put her face out at the front door and called.

"Johnnie," said Mavity Bence, keeping behind the girl's chair as she served the meal to her at the end of the long table, "I ain't never done you a meanness yet, have I?

Mrs. Bence took a plate and hurried out for more biscuits.

"No," said Mavity Bence in a low voice, "but I'm scared ofthe others.

The leafless vine on Mavity Bence's porch rattled dry stems against the lattice work in a gay March wind.

And at that moment Johnnie heard Mavity Bence's voice replying to her.

Mavity Bence and Mandy would care for them tenderly.

Mavity Bence ran out with one, but when she got close enough to see plainly the shackled figure Passmore supported, she thrust the glass into Mandy Meacham's hand and flung her apron over her head.

Johnnie immediately set about seeing that Mavity Bence and Mandy Meacham were comfortably provided for in the old boarding-house, where she assured Gray they could do more good than many Uplift clubs.

Mavity Bence stood in the hall, plainly awaiting her.

By Dr. Bence Jones.

Le coeur a ses raisons, Mrs. Bence; que la raison ne connait pas; drawing.

Le coeur a ses raisons, Mrs. Bence; que la raison ne connait pas; drawing.