gave him no invitation. Probably she thought that Nicholas, though a paragon in her eyes, was not likely to win favor in the ey

of ten dollars from his mother, which he spent partly in surreptitious games of bill

source of great comfort and joy to his father, and

p unexpectedly, he detected her eyes fixed upon him with a glance that seemed to express detestation.

s puzzl

nly don't like her. Still, I shall force myself to tre

Jasper noticed that he breathed a sigh of relief when she le

ly as to the relations between them. He hoped that a

ek Jasper was about

nother vacation, Jasper?" a

weeks,

a long tim

home durin

tions of study are bad fo

," assented Mr. K

tion, father," said Jasper. "If

Mrs. Kent, softly. "I should really be glad to see you, but somet

" said Mr. Ken

, who had his overcoat on and was waiting

as usual, father?" as

perhaps a little more langu

want to see me at any time, writ

boy. Don't overwork

Jasper noticed and mentally resented it. But the

Still, he made up his mind that he would spend the next Sunday at home. He would go on Saturday morning and come back o

y came up to the main entr

e telegraph office,"

the doctor or one of us boys?" said Jaspe

r. "Here, you, boy! wh

" said the boy. "

ard, with pale face and beating heart

Just sign the bo

name hurriedly and t

brief words o

rd's sake, Master Jasp

aret

am before Ja

o answer. He rushed to Dr. Benton's office, got his permission to go h

n the evening he entered the avenue that led to his father's ho

ter Jasper," said the fait

t too

; indeed, I

, but rushed up stairs an

kers and sallow complexion, with whom she was talking earnestly. They, started wh

r?" exclaimed Ja

Mrs. Kent "You shouldn't have

for him?" asked th

smoothly. "All has been done that h

u the d

a

raham, my fathe

er, "He was not competent to attend s

ham's skill doubted," said Ja

influence of morphine

hen, in gr

n great

er drew near

he tears rose to the eyes of Jasper as he realized that his father was passing away. As he looked on there

d the bedside also, and

ad!" he a

nt, in a voice rather of

es

e have the satisfaction of knowing that we ha

u may comfort yourself by tha

sper, turning with moist eyes to his step-moth

eath," said Mrs. Kent. "How do you

ret to telegraph for me?

to telegraph to you?" asked Mrs.

d you mean to keep me wholly unac

ernoon, which I should have

t was t

y and uncalled for," said hi

terly. "You should have sent for me as

ook your impertinence," said Mrs. Kent, comp

out, and Jasper was le

his father's death was to s