At last, the four men reached the house and deposited their burden on the porch, and the doctor, taking hold of the sheet, slowly raised it from the features which it covered. For [a] full five minutes, they were all dumbfounded at the sight which met their gaze. When they were able to speak, they all said but four words with one accord. “It is Albert King!” was all they said. Then all was silent for some time.

David Kent was the first to break the painful silence. “We must do all we can to save him,” said Kent, as he suited action to his word.

After they had fixed the young man as comfortable as possible, the doctor asked: “Mr. Kent, how came you to find him? Give us the details of your morning Adventure, as we are all eager to hear it.”

“I will, sir, with pleasure,” replied Kent. “I rose early this morning thinking I would take a morning down in the Ash Hollow and vicinity so as to report to Mr. Sowers before he went away, and in walking slowly along I saw this man lying in the edge of the wood. I went up close to him, and stooping down I felt his pulse to find out whether he was alive or not. My patience was getting worn out when I felt the pulse quivering faintly; my hopes began to run high then, and presently, glancing up, I saw two of those colored men going through the wood. I hailed them and asked them if they would help me with this man. They said they would if their master would let them. I left one of them with this young man and with the other I proceeded direct to his master’s. The old man was willing and would have let me have a horse and wagon, but the horses were all out, and I concluded I would carry the man on a stretcher if he would let me have four—no, if he would let me have three of his men. He consented, and we soon constructed a stretcher and put our burden on it. We started for Brookland and here we are.”

Kent seemed to be glad he was done telling his romantic adventure. He then dismissed the three men who helped him carry his burden and turned his attention to the young man to examine his wounds. The doctor dressed his wounds and gave him a dose of medicine, which soon brought him to.

He stared around wildly for a while, then his eyes seemed to become riveted on Ella. It was easy to see he was “out of his mind,” as most people term it.

Kent stood for some time looking on in silence. Finally he said:

“Aren’t you people going on your journey today? If so, you had better start.”

“We can’t go now,” replied Sowers. “So I will tell Wilse to put the horses away.”

So, the journey to the Springs was postponed for an indefinite length of time.

The ladies exchanged their traveling costume for something more suitable for the occasion. The young man was removed to a comfortable little chamber on the second floor, and Dr. Maltby prepared to go.

“I must tell Mrs. King, must I?” inquired he, when ready for his departure.

“No sir, you must not,” replied Kent. “Not for a few days at least, for we are not sure who he is yet, his face is so badly scarred. It’s a good thing they are all flesh wounds.”

The doctor pondered awhile, then he said: “Yes they are all flesh wounds, and it is best to do as you say.”

Kent wasn’t in any way doubtful of that fact, so after a few more words, the doctor took his leave for Berryville. He said he would stop as he came back on his way home.

“I must save him to ruin him,” muttered Kent as soon as he was left alone.

“Who could have done this horrible deed?” was [sic] his next words. Ella came into the room to take a look at Kent’s patient.

“Well, Mr. Kent, you have found him at last,” said Ella. “But the question is, have you got the right man? Are we to rest assured this is our enemy, Al King?”

“It begins to look doubtful, since you all say it does,” admitted Kent.

“We shall see for certain in a few days.”

“Yes, I guess we will see, and know for certain who he is in a few days. I hope so anyhow,” assented Kent.

“He was dressed well, ‘you bet’ he was,” asserted Ella. “I hope he may prove his innocence of that stabbing and shooting affair.”

“I don’t see how he is to do it,” muttered Kent.

“The Great One don’t give us the power to look into the future, Mr. Kent. Therefore, we cannot tell who is the guilty one yet,” Ella said, and her eyes twinkled merrily when she saw she had got the mastery over Kent by bringing in such a powerful argument. Kent admitted her words were plausible.

“There is more truth than poetry in your argument,” said Kent.

“Isn’t everything changed? Why, we were all for the Springs a few minutes ago. Now, we have postponed going until this young man gets well,” said Ella enthusiastically.

“I hope he will get well soon,” said Kent, “for I have several other cases to attend to as soon as I get through with this one.”

“You don’t say so, Mr. Kent,” said Ella in astonishment. “Where is the other cases?”

“Yes, I do say so, I assure you,” said Kent. “You will find all out in plenty time.”

“You speak in parables, Mr. Kent. Those days are not days of parables but days of plain speaking,” asserted Ella. “So please, explain yourself.” Kent looked steadily in her lovely face for some moments before he spoke.

“I intend to let events explain themselves when they occur,” said he complacently.

“That is your decision, is it?” laughed Ella in reply to Kent’s last words.

“You guessed aright that time,” smiled Kent, for he could not help smiling under the influence of one of her quiet smiles. While those two were enjoying a little tête-à-tête together, Mattie was enduring a little tête-à-tête with Kate Barton.

“Dear Mattie,” Kate said with a smile that looked demoniac to Mattie. “Aren’t you very sorry you couldn’t go to the Springs today?”

“No, I am not very sorry, for I always heed the old proverb which says: ‘circumstances alter cases,’” answered Mattie, her red lips slightly curving.

“La! Me, some people are always taking quotations from ‘the old proverbs,’” said Kate derisively.

“Well, I guess the old proverbs are as good as the new ones,” commented Mattie.

“So I reckon,” snarled Kate. “I reckon the ancient proverbs are as good as the modern ones.”

“We can talk about something else,” said Mattie. “I don’t see any use in talking of one thing all day.”

“You are right, that you are, Mattie!” said Kate. “Sensible girl that you are!”

Mattie said no more to Kate and that young lady (?) took her departure. “Good-bye, Mattie,” said she.

Mattie bid her farewell as cordially as she always did. Ella soon came in, and told Mattie how the young man was getting [along]:

“He is still delirious. And keeps muttering just one word, that is: ‘foiled,’” said Ella to her bosom friend—Mattie.

“That is a strange word,” said Mattie wonderingly: “Well, he is as delirious, as you say, and one word is just as appropriate as another.”

“Yes, that’s so. You are a great planner, Mattie, to be sure!” said Ella laughingly.

The girls had a long talk together. Sowers was very busy at the mill, and he had almost forgotten about the young man that was so badly scarred and bruised.

“Oh, I almost forgot about the young man, Hugh. I must go over and see him,” said Sowers, suddenly recollecting the young man.

“Yes sir, I would like to hear how he is getting along,” said Hugh. “I believe I will go over and take a look at him, myself.”

So saying, they went over to see him.

“How is he now, Mr. Kent?” inquired Sowers, as he entered the room.

“He is pretty bad off now, I can tell you,” whispered Kent, as he sat there fanning his patient. Presently he said:

“There seems to be some doubt respecting this man’s identity. Do you think—can you say positively he is Albert King?”

“Well, I have had no doubts about it,” asserted Sowers dryly, as he looked steadily in the young man’s face.

“He doesn’t look exactly like Al King—yes, he does. You are only getting me prejudiced against his looks, but you can’t do it,” resumed Sowers in a low voice.

“I ain’t trying to prejudice you at all,” said Kent. “I am only speaking according to the dictates of conscience.”

“Well, all I have to say is they are enough alike to be two brothers,” said Sowers. “I mean that, the young man lying there and Al King are enough alike to be brothers,” explained he.

“That is as much to say this is Al King. Well, I hope it is, for I am tired out looking for him,” said Kent.

Soon after this, Sowers and Hugh went back to the mill. Ella came in and said, “I will look at his clothes. You took them all off, did you not?”

“Yes, Miss. There they are,” said Kent.

Ella took them down and examined them closely: pants, coat, and vest. Then she took the shirt and began examining it. She looked at it for some time.

All at once she gave one loud scream and fell from her chair to the floor insensible.

What she saw that caused her to faint, we must reserve for another chapter.

Then, we will tell.