American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-10-09
EDwARD BROWN, sToKER.

strolled out of the churchyard, down one
of the lanes, and then crossing stile we
went through couple of fields and sal
down on another stile, with the high
hedge on either side of us and the meadow
that they were beginning to NOW at the
other end, one glorious bed of flowers and
soft, feathery grass.
! Polly says at last, breaking the
silence, "aint this heavenly"
And you feel better ?" she says, laying
her hand on mine.
'sBe1teri" says, taking a long draught
of the son, weetscented air and filling my
chest-sbetter, old grill feel as was
growing backyard into a boy"
YES" says, smiling, and you forty
seven next week. and then we sat think
ing for bit.
Polly,"I says at last, as sat there
drinking in that soft breeze and feeling it
give me strength, "it's worth being ill
only to feel as l do now"
For you see I'd been very bad, else /
dare say I'm not the man to go hanging
ABOUT churchyards and watching funer-
ais; I'm o sIoker and my work lies in
steamers trading to the East. I'd come
home from my last voyage bad with
fever caught out in one of those nasty, hot
bad smelling ports-been carried home to
die, as my mates thought; and it was
being like this and getting better that had
set my thinking 30 seriously and made
me SO quiet; not that was ever noisy
sort of a man, as anyone who knows me
will say. And now after getting better
the doctor had said / must go into the
country to get strong; SO as there was no
more voyaging till was strong there was
nothing for it but to leave the youngsters
under the care of the eldest girl and a
neighbOr and come and take lodgings in
this quiet Surrey village.
Polly thought should never get better
and one tjnfe no more did / for about a
month before this time, as l lay hollow
eyed and yellow on the bed, knowing, too,
how bad 1 looked-for ] used to make
young Dick bring me the looking-glass
every morning-the doctor came as usual
and like blunt Englishman I put it to
him fiat:
Doctor" says, "you don't think 1
shall get better?' aud 1 looked him
straight in the face
"Oh, come, come, my manr' he says,
smiling, we never look at the black side
like that"
None of that, DOCTOR" 1 says; "out
been expecting TO be drowned or blown
up half my life, 90 shan't be scared at
what you say"
We'll, my man." he says, "your symp-
toms are of . very grave nature. You see
the fever had undermined you before you
came home, and unless"
I" All right, DOCTOR" says; az under
stand; you mean that unless you can get
a new plate In the boiler she won't stand
another voyage"
.sOh, comei we won't look upon it as
hopeless case" he says; " there's always
hope;" and after little more talk he
shook hands and went away.
Next day when he came l had been
thinking it all over, and was ready for
him. [ don't believe was bit better :.
in fact, know was drifting fast, and 1
saw il IN his eyes as we'll.
l waited till he had asked me his differ
emit questions, and then Just as he was
getting up to go asked him to sit down
again.
" Polly, my dear" says, 81 Just want
a few words with the doctor;" and she
put her apron up to her eyes and went out,
closing the door after her very softly,
while the doctor looked at me curious
like, and waited for me to speak.
me up. There, don't shake your head,
for know. Now, don't you think I'm
afraid to die, for I don't believe am, but
look here; there's seven children down.
stairs, and If l leave my wife widow with
the few pounds I've been able to save,
what's to become of themg Can't you
pull me through "
:. My dear fellow he says honestly,
1--WE done everything I can for your
case" =
That's what ycu think, DOCTOR" 1
says, "but look. here; I've been at sea
thirty years. and in seven wrecks. It's
teen like lodging death with me a score
of times. Why, 1 pulled my wife there
regularly out of the hands of death, and
I'm not going to give up now I've
been
Stop, STOP" he says, gently; YOU'RE
exciting yourself"
MOI a bit,n says though my voice
was quite a whisper. 1--we had this over
all night and I've come 10 think must be
up and doing my duty"
But, my good man -" he began.
Listen to me, doctor" | says "a
score OF times l might have gwen up and
been drowned, but / made a fight for il
and was saved. Now mean to make
fight for II here for the sake of the wife
and BARNS. i don't mean To die, doctor.
without a struggle l believe this here:
that life's given to us all as a treasure TO
keep; we might throw it away by our
own folly at any time, but there's hun
dreds Of times when we may preserve it,
and we never know whether we can save
it till we try. Gives a drink of that
water"
He held the glass 10 my lips and took
big draught and went on, he seeming
all the time TO be stopping to humor me
in my madness
That's better, DOCTOR" says. "Now
look here, sir; speaking as one who has
sailed the seas, it's a terrible stormy time
with me; there's lee shore close at hand,
the fires are drowned out, and unless we
can get up bit of sail there's no chance