was great, and her voice, oh, dad, I wish you could have heard it. But
what got me was the closing piece. It was called, 'My Little Lad, God
Bless Him.' I can't begin to tell how that song affected me. It
seemed like the cry of a broken-hearted mother for her only boy, who
was away from her. In an instant I thought of mother and you, and when
I left the place that night I was all broken up. I tried to shake the
feeling off, but every night it came upon me stronger than ever.

"As the weeks went by I became very wretched. I saw what a brute I had
been, and how you at home must have suffered. The upshot of it was,
that I left New York, landed in St. John, got waylaid, was in the
hospital unconscious for a long time, unknown to all. When I got out,
I took the evening train, intending to hire a team at Greenside to
drive me home. I couldn't get any one to bring me at that time of the
night, and so I began to foot it. When the storm overtook me I fought
hard, but I was very weak, and--oh, well, you know the rest."

When Jimmy was through, the captain sat for some time without saying a
word. He looked straight before him, as if watching the ice, and
wondering when it would go out. But he saw nothing there, for his mind
was upon more important things.

"Jimmy," he at last remarked, "this is all His doin's. I kin see that
now. He has protected you, and brought ye back to us."

"Who?" Jimmy asked in surprise. "It was that song which did it."

"Ah, yes, Jimmy. But back of that was Another, the very One I've been
neglectin' fer years. It's wonderful, lad! it's wonderful, and don't
ye fergit it."