Swiss was a great favorite with Mandy, and he was a great friend of hers, for Swiss was very particular about his food, and he had found Mandy to be a much better cook than Uncle Ike had been; besides the fare was more bounteous at the Pettengill homestead than down at the chicken coop, and Swiss had gained in weight and strength since his change of quarters. After breakfast Uncle Ike came into the kitchen and received a warm welcome from Swiss. Uncle Ike told Mandy and Mrs. Crowley the well-known story of the rescues of lost travellers made by the St. Bernard dogs on the snow-clad mountains of Switzerland. When Mrs. Crowley learned that Swiss had come from a country a great many miles farther away from America than Ireland was, he rose greatly in her estimation and she made no objection to his occupying a warm corner of the kitchen. About noon, when the storm was at its very worst, Mandy, who was looking out of the kitchen window, espied something black in the road about halfway between Deacon Mason's and the Pettengill house. She called Mrs. Crowley to the window and asked her what she thought it was. "That's aisy," said Mrs. Crowley, "It's a man coming down the road." "What can bring a man out in such a storm as this?" asked Mandy. "Perhaps he is going for the docther," remarked Mrs. Crowley. "Then he would be going the other way," asserted Mandy. "He's a plucky little divil anyway," said Mrs. Crowley. "That's so," said Mandy. "He is all right as long as he keeps on his feet, but if he should fall down--" At that moment the man did fall down or disappear from sight. Mandy pressed her face against the window pane and looked with strained eyes. He was up again, she could see the dark clothing above the top of the snow. What was that! A cry? The sound was repeated. "I do believe the man is calling for help," cried Mandy. [Illustration: "MRS. PUTNAM'S ANGER, UPON DISCOVERY OF LINDY'S PARENTAGE." (ACT III.)] She rushed to the kitchen door and opened it. A gust of snow swept into the room, followed by a stream of cold, chilling air. Swiss awoke from his nap and lifted, his head. Despite the storm, Mandy stood at the door and screamed "Hello!" with her sharp, strident voice. Could she believe her ears? Through the howling storm came a word uttered in a voice which her woman's heart at once recognized. The word was "Mandy," and the voice was Hiram's. "What on earth is he out in this storm for?" said Mandy to herself. She called back in response, "Hello! Hello! Hello!" and once more her own name was borne to her through the beating, driving storm. She shut the door and resumed her post at the window. Hiram was still struggling manfully against the storm and had made considerable progress. Mandy turned to Mrs. Crowley and said, "Mr. Maxwell is coming, Mrs. Crowley." "More fool he," remarked Mrs. Crowley, "to be out in a storm like this."