“Poor man!” said Miss Helen, leaning tenderly over the pale face that still showed no symptoms of returning consciousness; “how very thin and emaciated he is! Has he no wife or family to take care of him?” “That’s just it, ma’am! That’s just what he’s allus harpin’ on! He says he ain’t got no relatives, and nobody to look after, and—” The young lady suddenly raised her hand with a warning gesture; and, before the workman had ceased speaking, old Simlin opened his eyes. He looked around for a moment in a bewildered way; then his uncertain glance, falling upon the gentleman kneeling by his side, immediately became fixed, and grew into a wild stare. Raising himself unsteadily upon his elbow, still with his eyes fixed upon him, the old man threw out his trembling arm with a gesture as if addressing the whole company,— “It’s a lie! Who said I had any relatives, or any body to look after? I hain’t! It’s a lie—a _lie_, I say! I never seen you before. He’s a stranger!”—still keeping his arm extended, and appealing excitedly to those around him—“you all know he is a stranger. I ain’t got no relatives, nor any body to look after!” It was evident enough that what the workman had told them about his intellect was too true, they all thought, as they looked at each other with a quick glance. “I tell you I don’t know you, sir! It’s all a lie. I never seen you before! I—” “No, you never saw me before.” Mr. Safford had spoken, hoping to soothe him; but, instead, the sentence appeared to act upon the old man like an electric battery, for he raised himself into a sitting posture, and, with his head bobbing violently about, fairly screamed, his cracked voice running into high treble,— “That’s right!—that’s right! Do you all hear it? He says I never seen him before. It’s all a lie about my havin’ got any relatives. I hain’t! I never seen him before—You heerd him say so—you all heerd him?” he inquired, for the first time, taking his pale, watery eyes from the gentleman, and looking, in a frightened, appealing way, round the group. Then his strength seemed to fail suddenly, and he fell back upon the grass, panting for breath. At this moment the colonel came up, and knelt down by his side. He uttered his name several times, and even put his hand upon the wrinkled forehead; but the old man, with vacant eyes fixed on the sky, paid no heed, though his lips trembled. “I have ordered a wagon. It will be here directly. He must be taken to the house, where he can receive every attention. Poor man! I am afraid this will be about the last. I have expected it for a long time. Here, Safford, help me to lift him,” he added, as Hendricks came back with the wagon.