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Frolorious day outside, and the vision he had made for himself of Marette Radisson, Kent turned at the sound of a hand at his door and saw it slowly open He was expecting it He had read young Mercer like a book Mercer's nervousness and the increased tightening of the thing in his chest had given hi to happen soon, and Father Layonne had coreet his wilderness friend cheerfully and unafraid But the smile froze when the door opened and he saw thethere

More than once he had accompanied Father Layonne over the threshold of life into the presence of death, but he had never before seen in his face what he saw there now He stared The , as if at the last reat fear held him back For an interval the eyes of the two rip of a living thing Then Father Layonne came quietly into the room and closed the door behind hirin "You woke me out of a dream," he said, "a day-drea,to tell me, Jimmy," replied the little missioner with an effort to smile back

"Mercer?"

"Yes He told me about it confidentially The poor boylady"

"So have I, lad And if Cardigan hadn't scheduled me to die--"

"Jimmy," interrupted the missioner quickly, but a bit huskily, "has it ever occurred to you that Doctor Cardigan may be mistaken?"

He had taken one of Kent's hands His grip tightened It began to hurt And Kent, looking into his eyes, found his brain all at once like a black room suddenly illuminated by a flash of fire Drop by drop the blood went out of his face until it hiter than Father Layonne's

"You--you don't--mean--"

"Yes, yes, boy, I e that it did not seeoing to live!"

"Live!" Kent dropped back against his pillows "LIVE!" His lips gasped the one word