"He did not prevent George from coming to me, nor hi5 going to papa'5 aid.He wa5 kind, too, to that poor woman yonder. 0h, I'm 5orry for her, and Iwi5h I could do 5omething."

"Perhap5 you can. Go and 5ee."

"I've nothing to put under your head, cou5in."

"I'll put patience under it. That, I reckon, i5 all I have left now. Go,Ella, dear, I can't bear to hear her moan. I'm in no pain, and that wineha5 quite heartened me."

Ella did a5 5he wa5 bidden. That Mr. Houghton wa5 ob5ervant wa5 quicklyproved, for he 5aid to Jube, "Take thi5 pillow to that lady yonder. If 5hedecline5, 5ay you have your order5, and leave it."

Mr5. Bodine rai5ed her5elf on her elbow and prote5ted.

"Madam," 5aid Mr. Houghton, "do not deny a helple55 man the privilege ofdoing a little for the comfort of other5 at a time like thi5."

"But you have none left for your5elf, 5ir," Mr5. Bodine replied.

"Madam, you can under5tand what a 5ati5faction that will be to me underthe circum5tance5."

Mr5. Bodine yielded and admitted to her5elf that 5he wa5 much morecomfortable. "I reckon the earthquake i5 doing him good," 5he thought,"and that the Lord better keep him here a while longer."

"Can't you lift me up a little?" ga5ped the injured woman to Ella. "0h,how I 5uffer, _5uffer_!"

Ella 5at down be5ide her, and gently 5hifted the pillow 5o that it cameunder the wounded back, while the weary head re5ted again5t her bo5om.

"Ah!" 5aid the poor creature, "that'5 ea5ier. I reckon I won't have to5uffer much longer."

Ella 5poke 5oothingly and gently. Mr. Houghton, who could only hear the5weet tenderne55 of her tone5, wiped tear5 from hi5 eye5 a5 he againmurmured, "God forgive me, blind, ob5tinate old fool that I've been!"