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She looked clear down to the end of her loveless life, and saw the neighbors co virtuously to perform the last rites, and wondered why it all had to be She was unaware of all her years of sacrifice, glorious patience, loving toil Her life seemed to have been so without point, so useless heretofore; and all that could yet be, how useless and dreary it looked! Her spirit was at its lowest ebb Her soul eary unto death She looked vainly for a break in that solid wall of cloud at the end of the road, and looked so hard that the tears ca on the -seat and on her thin, tired hands It was because of the tears that she did not see the boy on a bicycle coate, left his wheel by the curb, and ca a little book and pencil out of his pocket in a business-like way

With a start she brushed the tears away, pushed back the gray hair froo to the door It was Johnny Knox, the little boy froraph office He had ram for her It would likely be for the Crae, and did not know

But Johnny did know

"Telegra the yellow envelope at her and putting the pencil in her hand "Sign 'ere!" indicating a line in the book

Julia Cloud looked hard at the envelope Yes, there was her naainst all reason She could not think of a disaster in life of which it raht anything else to her

She signed her na to pay There had been sothe last two painful weeks, and her little funds were al the boy go whistling back to his wheel and riding off with a careless whirl out into the evening His whistle lingered far behind, and her ears strained to hear it Now if a whistle like that were colad to see her and want so she could do for him! Why, even little snub-nosed, impudent Johnny Knox would be a comfort if he were all her own Her arms suddenly felt e left for her to do Involuntarily she stretched theray dusk with a wistful motion Then she turned, and went back to theto read her telegram