Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1875-10-27
Edward brown. stoker.

a couple Of fields and sat down on
another stile, with the high hedge
on either side of us, and the mea-
dow that they were beginning to
nov At the other end, one glorious
bed Of flowers and sofb feathery
grass.
"Tolly, Isays al last breakipg
theesiience, faint this heavenly |"
V end you feel betteri" she says,
laying her hand on mine.
"Better" / says, taking long
draught of the soft, sweet-scented
afr, and filling my chest, "better,
old girl; ! feel as if 1 was growing
backward into boy"
"Andsygu fifty last week '"-she
"Yes," l says, "and you forty
seven next week" And then we
sat. thinking for bit. - -
@4"Poliy,' 7 says at last, as I sat
there drinking in that soft breeze,
and feeling it give me strength, sits
worth being III only to feel as do
now"
g For YOU see ia been very bad,
else l dare say I'm not the man to
90 hanging about church-yards
and watching funerals. Tn a sto-
lser, and my work lies in steamers
trading to the east. I'd come home
from my last voyage bad with fe-
yer, and been carried home to die,
as my mate thought, and it was
being like this and getting better
that had set me thinking so seri-
ously and made me so quiet. Not
that | was ever noisy sort of man,
as any one who knows me will say.
Any how, after getting better, the
Sdoctor had said | must go to the
country and 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 neigh
Dor, and come and take lodgings in
this quiet Surrey village.
Polly never thought / would get
better, and one time, no more did
/; for about a month before this
time, as ] lay hollow-eyed and yell
low on the bed, knowing, too, how
bad / looked, for I used to make
young Dick bring me the looking
glass every morning, the doctor
,eame as usual, and like blunt old
Englishman, ! put it to him fat.
Doctor" says, "you don't
think ! shall get betterl" and /
looked him straight in the face.
"Oh, come, come, my man." he
says, smiling, eve never look at the
iJl1ci1 side Like that"
"None Of that, DOCTOR" Isays.
"Out with it like n man. / can
rand it. I've been expecting to
be drowned or blown up half my
life, so j shan't be scared at what
'you may say"
"Well, my man." he says, "your
symptoms are Of a very grave ma
ture. You see the fever had I'M
dsrrnined You before you came
home, and unless"
GAIL right, DOCTOR" says /, 81 I'M
derstand. You mean that unless
you can get another plate in the
= boiler, she won't stand another voy-
age"
"Oh, come we won't look upon
it as d hopeless case" he says
"There's always hope"
After little more talk he went
away.
Next day when he came / had
been thinking it all over, and was
ready for him. / don't believe /
was bit better. In fact, know
i was drifting fast, and saw it in
his eyes as well.
I waited till he had asked me his
different questions, and then, just
as he was getting up to go, / asked
him to sit down again.
"Polly, my DEAR says, 81 just
want 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.
Doctor" 1 says, "you've about
given me up. There, don't shake
your head, for / know. Now don't
you think I'm afraid to die, for /
don't believe / am. But look here,
there's seven children down stairs,
and if ! leave my wife a widow,
..-.4f. . r.. ..x..-1 4. -. -. IL