The unrestrained tears crept unheeded down her cheeks; but Mrs.Morgan did not worry, because only too well did she know these were tears of overpowering joy; and not of grief.
Finally the story was all told, and she opened her eyes, swimming as they were, to look fondly at each of them in turn.
"What happiness has come into my life!" she said, with a great sigh; and, evidently, the load of years had rolled from her heart.

"And how grateful I must always be to the kind friends who have brought it to me and mine.

I can never do enough to show you how I appreciate it all." Then Hugh thought himself privileged to ask a few questions in turn, wishing to thoroughly satisfy himself with regard to several points that were as yet unexplained.
She told them how her husband had lost his life; and that, when she and the boy faced poverty, the resolution had come to her to go East and try to find the relatives whom she had only lately learned were located somewhere near Scranton.

She had come across an old and time-stained diary kept by her mother's father, who, of course, was the runaway son of Deacon Winslow; and thus she learned how he had left his home in the heat of anger, and never once communicated with his parents up to the time of his death, which occurred a short three years after his marriage.
It was all very simple, and supplied the missing links in the chain.
After she had told them these things once more she asked Hugh about the aged couple.

That was a subject the boy could talk about most enthusiastically for a whole hour, he was that full of it.