From the small, waxen form on her lap she turned her gaze toward the rough boards of the barn where, but a moment before, He had stood looking into her eyes and had walked, in that glorious light, over to stand beside her. [Illustration: _Scene from Mary Pickford's Photoplay_. _Sparrows_. "THESE ARE MY KIDS!"] Everything about the loft seemed just the same as usual--but no! No! It never would--never could be the same to her again. The Good Shepherd had walked among the children as they slept. He had gathered one in his arms. He had given her, Mollie, strength and courage. No, nothing would ever be the same again. Somewhere, she knew, He was watching over her darlings. With Him they were as safe as were his sparrows. God did not forget! CHAPTER XVII ON THE TRAIL "But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the end of the wicked shall be cut off."--Pa. xxxvii, 38 When the police arrived at the home of Harris Wayne they found the house and grounds brilliantly illumined and every employee on the place engaged in searching for the kidnappers. Between the havoc wrought by the storm and the zeal of the searchers, if any clue had been left it was obliterated. The detectives inspected every nook and corner of the nursery and questioned the servants. None of the latter could recall having seen any suspicious characters about, nor suggest any reason for the kidnapping. "It was somebody who knew that Wayne was going to be away and that the servants were having a jollification," remarked one of the detectives. "He'd probably been tipped off by somebody in the house. Might be intentionally; might be by accident. "Are you sure none of yo'-all has talked to any stranger, even if he wasn't suspicious looking?" asked the Chief, who had come personally to direct the investigation. He looked inquiringly from one to the other of the little group. No one could recall any such conversation. "Have yo' talked with anybody who showed a lot of interest,--asked questions? I don't care who the person is, whether it's someone you know or don't know? Anybody from out of town--visitin' hereabouts! Think, now--Think!" They bent their brows in thought. The chauffeur spoke. "There was a fellow--" he commenced, then paused as if loath to think of the individual in question as having any connection with the kidnapping. "Yes, go on. What about him?" prompted the Chief. "Oh, I don't know as it's worth anything," continued the chauffeur, "but when I stopped in at Grier's, where we always deal, to get some supply parts for the car, a fellow I never saw before was talking about the best car for these roads. But he didn't ask anything in particular and there was nothing about him anyway suspicious." "No?" said the Chief, interrogatively. "How did you come to think of him? What impressed him on your mind!" The chauffeur grinned, rather sheepishly. "Nothing but his tie pin," he replied. "H'm! What kind of a pin?"