But the object of her solicitude backed away, making peculiar clucking sounds deep in his throat.  Paloma was saying: 

“This is my father, Mrs. Strange.  You and he have never happened to meet before.”

“Why, yes we have!  I know you,” the seamstress exclaimed.  Then a puzzled light flickered in her black eyes.  “Seems to me we’ve met somewhere, but—­I’ve met so many people.”  She extended her hand, and Blaze took it as if expecting to find it cold and scaly.  He muttered something unintelligible.  “I’ve been dying to see you,” she told him, “and thank you for giving me Paloma’s work.  I love you both for it.”

Blaze was immensely relieved that this dreaded crisis had come and gone; but wishing to make assurance doubly sure, he contorted his features into a smile the like of which his daughter had never seen, and in a disguised voice inquired, “Now where do you reckon you ever saw me?”

The seamstress shook her head.  “I don’t know, but I’ll place you before long.  Anyhow, I’m glad you aren’t hurt.  From the way you called Paloma I thought you were.  I’m handy around sick people, so I—­”

“Listen!” Paloma interrupted.  “There’s some one at the front door.”  She left the room; Blaze was edging after her when he heard her utter a stifled scream and call his name.

Now Paloma was not the kind of girl to scream without cause, and her cry brought Blaze to the front of the house at a run.  But what he saw there reassured him momentarily; nothing was in sight more alarming than one of the depot hacks, in the rear seat of which was huddled the figure of a man.  Paloma was flying down the walk toward the gate, and Phil Strange was waiting on the porch.  As Blaze flung himself into view the latter explained: 

“I brought him straight here, Mr. Jones, ’cause I knew you was his best friend.”

“Who?  Who is it?”

“Dave Law.  He must have came in on the noon train.  Anyhow, I found him—­like that.”  The two men hurried toward the road, side by side.

“What’s wrong with him?” Blaze demanded.

“I don’t know.  He’s queer—­he’s off his bean.  I’ve had a hard time with him.”

Paloma was in the carriage at Dave’s side now, and calling his name; but Law, it seemed, was scarcely conscious.  He had slumped together; his face was vacant, his eyes dull.  He was muttering to himself a queer, delirious jumble of words.

“Oh, Dad!  He’s sick—­sick,” Paloma sobbed.  “Dave, don’t you know us?  You’re home, Dave.  Everything is—­all right now.”

“Why, you’d hardly recognize the boy!” Blaze exclaimed; then he added his appeal to his daughter’s.  But they could not arouse the sick man from his coma.

“He asked me to take him to Las Palmas,” Strange explained.  “Looks to me like a sunstroke.  You’d ought to hear him rave when he gets started.”

Paloma turned an agonized face to her father.  “Get a doctor, quick,” she implored; “he frightens me.”