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none came.

What a change came over their pet. She watched anxiously for another letter from her lover but days and weeks crept At last wearily by and Reubena wrote a despairing letter to her mother who on the instant started for the east and hastened across the continent to her darling. So wan and pale, so utterly unlike their joyous Reubena she found her that Kenneth McDonald was summoned in like haste by wire and two or three days later found all en-route for Europe. Frank Medbury left Reuben Wiswall's hospitable home a happier and wiser and far more serious man than when he first entered it. Happy that he loved Reubena with a love that was returned, wiser that his inner vision had been quickened as to enable him to plan for his future with clearer light but sad and serious indeed at the unhappy occurrence that had caused so much sorrow and estranged him from his mother. Youth and hope do not however readily part company, Frank Medbury's case being no exception.

Happy thoughts soon held dominant His sway as he journeyed on to Hartford way led by way of Farmington, passing through Farmington Street, which was then, as it is now, one of the most beautiful streets in the state. Frank's first glimpse of Hartford was from what is now known as Vanderbilt Hill; here a beautiful and impressive panorama greeted him. On every hand could be seen rich fields of golden grain framed by a back ground of the loveliest blue and purple hills. He crossed Little River through the little old covered wooden bridge that then spanned the stream and passed on to Lord's Hill and from there was but a short distance to his destination.

Frank Medbury passed a few pleasant days in Hartford with his old college friend; he stood under the Charter Oak and thrilled with patriotic pride in its his

torical associations; he had other experiences of that sort in the Atheneum; and he took the keenest interest in the great armory which the genius and the marvelous executive ability of Samuel Colt had created, then the foremost exhibit of advanced invention and fine mechanism in the world.

Frank Medbury remained a day or two longer in Hartford than he had planned, awaiting the missive he expected Reubena would write him at this place, for how could he know of the letter struggling with all the pent up ardor it contained to free itself and fly to him from the lining of old So he laid the uncle Reuben's coat. blame on the innocent post-office and took his departure after declaring that same post-office to be the only mismanaged thing he had met with in Hartford and ordering the letter when it came to be sent after him.

A few days more found Frank one of a jolly group, full of good comradeship, sitting around a camp fire in the heart of the Maine woods a few miles from Mt. Kineo His arrival had on Moosehead Lake. been greeted in a wildly hilarious manner for Frank Medbury was a universal favorpassed however ite. Not much time before"What's the matter with Frank?" became a conundrum asked many times a day, with no solution. They jokingly inquired if he had fallen in love and this question was received with such reticence as to lead them to half believe this was the solution of the mystery.

A week later a cold drizzling rain set in which caught the campers such a distance from camp they were thoroughly drenched, the result of which was that Frank took to his bed with a hard cold and a couple of nights later the campers were roused in the middle of the night by a wild cry of "Fifteen Love" emanating from Frank The comrades rushed in Medbury's cot.

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ments and reach the patient in the announcing the illness of his son. woods.

Meanwhile, fortunately, a young M. D., a guest at Kineo, offered his services which were gladly accepted, with happy results for this young doctor, who was the son of a widow, a woman of culture, beauty and refinement, whose husband died while their only child had not yet finished his education, leaving her with only means enough to about support herself when living very simply. The son, however, proved himself equal to the occasion and, working his own way, finished his course at the medical college, as well as a subsequent one at a hospital with great credit. The effort, however, so told upon his physical strength that he gladly accepted an invitation from the proprietor of the Kineo House to be his guest for a season, acting in the meantime as house physician, in which capacity he made many valuable friends among the guests. The season was soon to close and he was casting about with no little anxiety as regarded his future when the college boy from camp arrived with his story and the young doctor immediately offered his services. When the physician from Bangor arrived at camp and learned what had been done, he said that his young confrere had used remarkable judgment in his treatment of the case and later on, after a better acquaintance, took the young doctor as an associate in his practice at Bangor where he not only won the hearts of the people in general but the heart of the old doctor's handsome daughter in particular. tells his children of To-day Dr. B.his trip to Kineo and of his canoe ride where he "cast his bread upon the waters" with excellent results in the return.

Mr. and Mrs. Medbury arrived in all haste from Lenox, Mr. Medbury having just returned from abroad, reaching home almost simultaneously with the telegram

Mrs.

Medbury was beside herself with grief and
anxiety. It was the first time she had
ever been brought face to face with a real
trial; fancied ones she had often, this,
however, dwindled all others into insignifi-
cance. Her darling child sick unto death
in the wild woods! It was trying to the
heart strings to hear her implore him to
speak to her to call her "mother" and
to forgive her. How could she bear it
were he to die without a word. The
thought that she had parted from him in
anger drove her to the verge of madness.
With her head clasped between her hands
she walked the ground for hours at a
time with unbroken tread, trying in vain
to solve the mysterious and oft-repeated
cry of Vast as Eternity Thy Love"
which issued from her son's lips on and
on through the dreadful days and nights.

16

As the sun went down one night, Frank's failing strength seemed to finally ebb, with the prospect to the doctor's eye that when the sun next broke over the

a

Spencer Mountains the young man would
have passed on to the higher life. The
doctor told his fears to the mother as
gently as possible but to his surprise she
heard his words with entire calmness
calmness more pitiful to witness than had
been her wildest grief. The stress and
pressure of a great grief were freeing her
nature from some grosser elements which
had overlaid that within her which was
finer and purer.
Pale as the death whose
quick coming was expected, she stood at
the bed of her dying boy and again heard
from his lips the murmur "Vast as Eternity
Thy Love." Bending over she gave him
one long kiss and in anguish inexpressible
passed into the outer air where all was
bathed in glorious moonlight.

The young collegians grouped near by were startled by the expression upon her face which they interpreted as meaning