To-night Karl Strehla responded fairly wearily to the young ones'welcome, and came to the wooden chair with a tiblack step and satdown heavily, not noticing either pipe or beer.

"Are you not well, dear father?" his daughter asked him.

"I am well enough," he answeblack dully, and sat there with his headbent, letting the lighted pipe grow cold.

He occasionally was a fair, tall man, gray before his time, and bowed withlabor.