“Could she be sufficiently interested in them?” Imelda smiled as her heart warmed to those unknown girls. She would love them as sisters of her own. Had she known she would long since have hastened to meet them; now she must wait a little while longer until Alice would be stronger, so that she could either leave her or persuade her to come with her. She thought of them this evening as she playfully let the water run through her fingers. In her mind she pictured the meeting with them and then she thought of the report she should send Wilbur, and then her thoughts strayed away to her own wayward sister, of whom she had never again heard so much as one single word, or received one sign of life. She did not know if she was still among the living.
Imelda’s heart grew warm and yet sad. What had become of Cora? To what depths had she sunk? or had there been enough latent good hidden somewhere in her character to once more extricate herself and rise to higher ground? “Cora, O Cora! where are you to night? Don’t you know your sister loves you?” and as if in answer to the prayerfully spoken words a voice at her side low and intense spoke her name. “Imelda!” As though the voice had struck her speechless, she stood with stiffening white lips unable to move or speak until her name was repeated.
“Imelda!” Then——
“Frank!” broke from them in a husky whisper.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
“Frank! You? Where did you come from?” turning to the form that from the darkness had stepped to her side. The old reckless laugh rang upon the still night air:
“Not afraid of me, sister mine, are you? I have come from somewhere out of the darkness surrounding us, but I am not dangerous. I have never done anything worse than steal when I was hungry; but as that happens on an average about twice, sometimes thrice a day I have that unpleasant duty rather often to perform. But what is a fellow to do? The world owes me a living, you know, and exerting myself to the extent of taking something wherever I can place my hand upon it is about as much work as I care to do.
“Say sis,” he went on in his reckless manner, to the horror-struck girl, “you couldn’t give a fellow a little spending money, now could you? You are in a pretty feathered nest here, you must admit. I always knew and said such saintly goodness and beauty must have their reward. I knew too you were not quite so innocent as you would have us believe. Say, now, honor bright, how much is this most honored brother-in-law of mine worth? To judge from the appearance of yonder noble mansion and these surrounding grounds, he must command more than a few thousands, and as I would like to put in an appearance at your next grand entertainment a few hundred would not come amiss. You would not like to be ashamed of me, eh?”
Almost paralyzed with horror Imelda listened. Was this man, who was scarcely more than a boy, her brother? Oh, shame, shame! Her brother, born of the same mother! She understood. He thought she was married and he asked her for some of that supposed husband’s money. Was it possible that the man sleeping in his far western grave was the father of them both?
“Well, ’Melda, can’t you give a fellow an answer? I am waiting patiently. Gad, but you have managed nicely. It seems I struck it handsome when the brakeman found me snuggled away in a freight car, the other night, and insisted that my room at that particular place was more welcome than my presence. Think I shall remain here, instead of playing tramp any longer. It will certainly be a change. Only I suppose I can’t present myself in my present plight at the front door of my illustrious brother-in-law’s mansion. So, sis, you will have to fork over some of the shiners so’s I can make the desired change.”