His Turning Point

During a reception given by Mr. and Mrs. Carey, the topic of "black sheep" in families comes up, and Mr. Carey makes the remark that if ever he discovered that there was a thief in the family of the woman he married he would divorce her. The next evening Carey is called away, and Mrs. Carey and her little child are left alone. Mrs. Carey puts her child to bed and goes to her sitting room to read. She thinks of her husband said the day before and a vision of past days comes to her....She is a young woman in good circumstances; her father is a prosperous businessman. One day, though, he returns home to inform his daughter and son that his fortune has been swept away. The loss of his fortune and his position cause him much worry, and he dies from the effects. The brother, accustomed to all the good things of life, finds it hard to do anything. He sells his belongings and gets what money he can. Lower and lower he falls, until one day he is caught by the police in the act of leaving a house by a window and is sent to prison as a burglar. The sister, not wishing to live alone, writes to one of her friends, telling her that she is in poor circumstances, and asks if she might visit her. At once the invitation is extended, and we find her at the handsome home of her friend. Here, as time goes, she meets a wealthy man who learns her story, excepting that part relating to her brother, and he proposes marriage. As the reverie breaks a burglar is seen entering the home of Carey. He glides in quietly, searching for some important papers. He knocks over a stool, which awakens the little child. She at once leaves her bed and goes into the drawing room. The burglar, masked, not knowing who is entering, points his revolver toward the door. The child enters, and the burglar tries to persuade her to go back to her room. Mrs. Carey, hearing the noise, comes hastily to the drawing room. Stealthily she had secured her own revolver, and, seeing the situation, gets the "drop" on the masked man and calls to him to throw up his hands. He obeys, but, seeing the woman, pulls off his mask and shows he is her brother. She begs him to leave at once, telling him what her husband had said. While they are talking, the child, seeing the revolver which her mother had laid on the table, picks it up and begins to examine it. She puts the muzzle into her mouth and is fingering with the trigger. The mother and the man see this at the same moment, and the mother starts quickly for the child in an