Helplessly Miss Dennihan sat by the bed whereon the tiny pilgrim lay, now absolutely motionless.  The fever had come to its final stage.  Dry of skin, burning through and through, his little mouth parched despite the touch of cooling water on his lips, the wee mite of a man without a name, without a home, or a mother, or a single one of the baby things that make the little folks so joyous, had ceased to struggle, and ceased at last to call for “Bruvver Jim.”

Then, at a quarter-past eleven, the outside door was suddenly thrown open, and in there staggered Jim, a haggard, wild-eyed being, ghastly white, utterly exhausted, and holding in his hand a wretched, scrawny branch of the mountain shrub he had gone to seek.

“Oh, Jim!  Jim!” cried Miss Doc, and, running forward, she threw her arm around his waist to keep him up, for she thought he must fall at every step,

“He’s—­alive?” he asked her, hoarsely.  “He’s alive?  I only asked to have him wait!  Hot water!—­get the stuff in water—­quick!” and he thrust the branch into her hand.

Beside the bed, on his great, rough knees, he fairly fell, crooning incoherently, and by a mighty effort keeping his stiff, cold hands from the tiny form.

Miss Doc had kept a plate of biscuit warm in the stove.  One of these and a piece of meat she gave to the man, bidding him eat it for the warmth his body required.

“Fix the shrub in the water,” he begged.

“It’s nearly ready now,” she answered.  “Take a bite to eat.”

Then, presently, she came again to his side.  “I’ve got the stuff,” she said, awed by the look of anguish on the miner’s face, and into his hands she placed a steaming pitcher, a cup, and a spoon, after which she threw across his shoulders a warm, thick blanket, dry and comforting.

Already the shrub had formed a dark, pungent liquor of the water poured upon it.  Turning out a cupful in his haste, old Jim flowed the scalding stuff across his hands.  It burned, but he felt no pain.  The spoonful that he dipped from the cup he placed to his own cold lips, to test.  He blew upon it as a mother might, and tried it again.

Then tenderly he fed the tea through the dry little lips.  Dully the tiny man’s unseeing eyes were fixed on his face.

“Take it, for old Bruvver Jim,” the man gently coaxed, and spoonful after spoonful, touched every time to his own mouth first, to try its heat, he urged upon the little patient.

Then Miss Doc did a singular thing.  She put on a shawl and, abruptly leaving the house, ran with all her might down the street, through the snow, to Bone’s saloon.  For the very first time in her life she entered this detested place, a blazing light of joy in her eyes.  Six of the men, about to join the four already gone to the hill above, where Jim had found the gold, were about to leave for the claim.

“He’s come!” cried Miss Doc.  “He’s home—­and got the weed!  I thought you boys would like to know!”