stant she had crumpled the anonymous scrawl in her hand. Bu

f Amy's sigh, and then

rned q

it! The awful meanness! Oh, Amy, my dear!" and she put her arms

uess!" fal

ho

e Jal

-the

could not h

y. "I didn't mean to read your note, Be

! I wouldn't own to rec

'm so

tty. I-I've bee

u h

as been bothering me of l

en yourself, Amy, my dear, but I never

to be known sooner or later. Bu

ought to be exposed-an

there is no use giving her the satisfaction of

t, Amy dear, I don't understand. This doesn't

bling, that's all. But it doesn't ma

y n

fraid it's only too true! I really don

my

mystery a long while, and now I

o some quiet place. Some one will be coming in here. We can go to Miss Greene

t to tell all you gi

te, or let it make any difference between us-even if it's true-which I don't believe-let's see-what do I want to say-I'm

e time," and Amy smiled

stery about them-w

at Mr. and Mrs. Stonington were you

ether. They always stopped talking when I came near, but I supposed it might be about some plans they had for sendin

looked at me so strangely that finally I went

t!" excla

she was poor dear mamma's aunt. I am going to call her

they have

that I fainted in school. It was think

A mystery

ll never be found out.

put her arms about her chum as they sat on

and Mollie to know. Maybe-maybe you can h

red in Deepdale, and about Mr. and Mrs. Stonington. It is the only home I have ever really known, thou

ble storm, the river rose, and there was a flood. This I was told by my uncle and aunt, as I am going to call them. Who

s found floating on a sort of raft tied to a mattress on a bed. I was

an env

addressed to Mrs. Stonington here, and she was telegraphed to. Her husband hurried on, for he knew of the flood and feared for h

ather and m

y-they were never found, though a careful

othing to tell o

me, but it only gave details of my baby days-probably it was written by my mother-for the hand

s that

ey no one can tell. The reference is so veiled. Even Uncle John, and he is a stock and bond broker, you know, says he is puzzle

something of your mothe

rriage, Aunt Sarah says. How my parents came to pin the Stoningtons' address on my baby dress

isn't Stonington

lative, as far as we can learn. So I'm Amy Stonington just the same. My uncle and aunt formally adopted me after they found th

n they t

ah to confer so often. Then they decided that I was getting old enough to be told. T

others k

them, so Uncle John told me, were Alice Jallow's people. That is why I think she wrote the

ean cr

d. I was only af

ly wonderful to have such a romance about you. I know the other girls will be crazy about it. Of course, it's sad, too, de

d me not to hope. You see, they must have been drowned. The worst is that I can't recall them. They never correspo

ce of your parents having escaped th

all I know. As I said, it shocked me when I first heard it, but I'm pretty wel

k it would. Wh

ded Amy. "Please don't! Let her see that

we'll love you all the mor

d of you. N

g!" exclaimed Betty, tip

k back on