"How are things, Wren?" he asked, stroking the delicate hand that was put out to greet him. "Are you almost strong enough to--play football?" The child smiled, and turned her head away. She had never known any one in all her life like Jack Kimball, so big and strong, and yet so kind. He almost made her feel timid and shy. "I'm better every minute," she managed to say. "But, of course, I ought to be." She glanced at her nurse, Miss Brown, who was bringing the morning's beef tea. "She is really doing splendidly," put in the nurse. "But she is a model patient--never wants what is not good for her." "Is Clip coming to-day?" asked Wren, hesitating as she said "Clip." "I hope so," replied Jack, "but you know she is very busy, and may not get here. But if she does not"--noting the child's disappointment--"she will surely come to-morrow. She telephoned so last night." "Did she say anything about the book?" queried the little one. "That's exactly what I want to talk about," he replied with nice evasion. "I wonder are you well enough to try to remember about that book. Where did you last have it?" "Out in my chair, with mother. I asked a little boy along the road to hand me some flowers, the book slipped back of me, and, as mother wheeled me along, I could feel that it was all right. When we got home it was gone." "And you didn't speak with any other persons than this boy?" Jack continued. "Oh, there were a lot of people out to see the firemen's parade, and lots of them spoke to me." "But did any one walk along with you to talk with you?" "Yes," she said with hesitation, trying to recall that day's momentous happenings; "there were two people. They were strangers. I think they had been in an automobile, for the girl was dressed like a motor girl, and the young man wore a long duster." Jack stopped and made a mental note of this remark. He had evidently expected this intelligence. "What did they look like--I mean personally?" "The girl had red hair--I particularly noticed that," replied the child; "but I have no idea what the man looked like, for he walked back of my chair." "I'm not tiring her, am I, Miss Brown?" asked Jack, turning to the nurse. "I can wait for the other details." "Go right on," assented the woman, who was dressed in the garb of a nurse. "I think the talk will do her good; she has been so anxious about it all." "And these two people talked with you?" pursued Jack. "Why, yes. The girl sat down on the roadside, and mother stopped my chair. Let me see; I think mother went into the little candy shop and left them with me. They were very pleasant. I am sure they would never touch my book." "Did you tell them what it was?" "I did, of course. I always told everybody what my precious book was. I asked them to sign my promise, and they both did so." "Oh!" exclaimed Jack, whistling his punctuation. "They did sign, did they?"