Mrs. Crawson was sobbing, frightened at her husband's fierce looks.
"They say Mr. Dodge is a church member," she began timidly, "and perhaps he'll remember Daniel is only a boy."
"When he does that I shall think there's some reality in religion," answered the man scornfully. "But," he added instantly, "I should ha' done it myself. It's no use to be angry. I can't sleep and so I may as well go back."
This was the time he saw Ellen.
"Oh Dan! Oh, my poor boy!" groaned the man turning away into the darkness.
Two more days of dreadful suspense followed. Another physician from the Hospital in the city near by had visited the poor boy, but did not change the course of treatment.
When the fever was at its height poor Jimmy talked incessantly. Sometimes he thought himself at school and repeated a few words of an old lesson in a loud voice. Then he was at home talking to his father or Dexter. Once he began a prayer, but stopped short with a cry of distress, and then added; "God wont hear liars!" This was succeeded by a loud unmeaning laugh.
Every word cut his mother's heart as with a knife. Still her constant cry to her merciful Father was:
"Spare! spare, for thy Son's sake! Give back his reason, and spare for repentance!"
At the close of the third day there seemed a change. The poor child lay more quiet. No one could tell whether the symptom was a favorable one. The afflicted family had repeated visits from their clergyman. As he was leaving the last time he asked: