"That's about my case." And David, hung his head a little, unconsciously. "That so? Well, I was a hot-headed fool when I said good-bye to Beulah, and it's taken me all this time to cool off and make up my mind to apologize to the dad. There's--there's rather a queer coincidence about my visit just at this time." "Speaking of coincidences," said David, "I can beat yours, whatever it is. If the thought of your father brought you back, my mother drew me--this way!" And he took something from his inside coat pocket.--"Do you see that?" Dick regarded the object blankly, then with a quick gesture dived into his pocket and brought forth another of the same general character. "How about this?" he asked. Each had one of Reba Larrabee's Christmas cards but David had the first unsuccessful one and Dick the popular one with the lonely little gray house and the verse about the folks back home. The men looked at each other in astonishment and Dick gave a low whistle. Then they bent over the cards together. "It was mother's picture that pulled me back to Beulah, I don't mind telling you," said David, his mouth twitching. "Don't you see it?" "Oh! Is that your mother?" And Dick scanned the card closely. "Don't you remember her portrait that always hung there after she died?" "Yes, of course!" And Dick's tone was apologetic. "You see the face is so small I didn't notice it, but I recognize it now and remember the portrait." "Then the old sitting-room!" exclaimed David. "Look at the rag carpet and the blessed old andirons! Gracious! I've crawled round those Hessian soldiers, burned my fingers and cracked my skull on 'em, often enough when I was a kid! When I'd studied the card five minutes, I bought a ticket and started for home." David's eyes were suffused and his lip trembled. "I don't wonder," said Dick. "I recognize the dear old room right enough, and of course I should know Letty." "It didn't occur to me that it _was_ Letty for some time," said her brother. "There's just the glimpse of a face shown, and no real likeness." "Perhaps not," agreed Dick. "A stranger wouldn't have known it for Letty, but if it had been only that cape I should have guessed. It's as familiar as Mrs. Popham's bugle bonnet, and much prettier. She wore it every winter, skating, you know,--and it's just the color of her hair." "Letty has a good-shaped head," said David judicially. "It shows, even in the card." "And a remarkable ear," added Dick, "so small and so close to her head." "I never notice people's ears," confessed David. "Don't you? I do, and eyelashes, too. Mother's got Letty's eyelashes down fine.--She's changed, Dave, Letty has! That hurts me. She was always so gay and chirpy. In this picture she has a sad, far-away, listening look, but mother may have put that in just to make it interesting."