Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-01-11
the face of shocked and outraged wife

paper. "it is not worth while to adver-
tise. j have patient on hand that
will exactly fill the bill"
Tell me about him." she said, with
n sudden enthusiasm.
''lle is not a consumptive." contin-
ued the doctor. "He is even a more
helpless case than that. He may die
at any moment; he can't possibly live
longer than few months, and is US
sorcly in need Of competent nursing as
any poor devil ever saw. He has no
friends here, though he was born and
raised in this place. tired TO get
him intO the hospital, but il is crowded,
and there has been so much sickness
this season that could not get nurse
for him, though I've been looking for
one ever since he came. He was a
classmate OF mine at college, but he
went away. and | had not seen him
since he graduated until | was called to
attend him several days ago. He was
splendid fellow then, but he is total
wreck now. The worst of il is that the
fellow doesn't want To- get well. |
don't know what has happened TO him
since he left here. but whatever it is it
has crushed him utterly. He seems to
have money enough for everything he
wants; the only trouble i, he can't get
IA nurse for love or money"
The doctor had forgotten what started
his recital; he was thinking only of this
friend. wondering what could have sub
ducd n jov.al AMI naturally buovant fell
low 50 completely. when he was sud-
denly called to order by Miss Win
tlrOp. ......- -r-.-.
You are positively certain that he
can not recOycr?' she asked.
In the natural course of events he
can not. lie might be restored by n
miracle
And can only live few months at
| beSt?' ...sr-
II should say five or six months at
most
This" said Miss Winthrop. with
/ perfect gravity. lis the one opportun.
iiy Of n lifetime. II would he like fly-
| ing In the face of Providence not to ac-
| ccpt IL.
1T looks rather pointed" replied the
doctor lit does not often happ that
"A woman while INDUCING a within can
NJ the same time do an act that NAV
be counted unto her for righteousness.
''if | were 90 talk like that I should
cNpc { something to happen TO me. '
said Mrs. Ainslee, shocked ut her sister
and surprised by this unusually fin
pant beLayiOr on the part of her hus-
4 band.
Perhaps out Of regard for Mrs. Aims
Ices abuOrmally sensitive sympathy the
discussion rested here, but the subject
was not forgotten. Miss Winthrop
pOndered it in secret and ultimately
evolved purpose.
John Hemingway had been crushed
by no catastrophe. lie had simply been
uniformly unlucky. A series of I'M
profitable spcculatiOns, each in-onsid-
cradle in itself. had melted his once
ample fortune to n meager income
barely sufficient for his needs. The
strenuous effort to retrieve IL I'm a eli
mate unSuitCd To- him had sappcd
his vitality and sent him back. broken
. m health and sp.r.t. To- die within sipht
Of his ancestral roof. Tut not leneath
its shelter. His parents were dead. the
other members OF his family hal zone
away; the only familiar face he had
seen since his return was that of Tom
| Ainslce, his college friend He was
quartered in hired lodgings, and they
were rs bleak and dismal rs such places
| generally are. In the room where he
lay there was a faded Brussels Garnet.
an armchair out nj elbows. a hair-cioth
sofa, a bed and some other essential Ar
ticles. in keeping with those already
. mentioned. The room was hot aud the
street below was NOISY. He Law there
listlcs-ly, looking At the stunted naples,
with leaves all covered with dust, whose
tops iust reached the open window by
his bed, yearning for one breath OF
pure, fresh air, one hour of perfect
quiet But there never would be
anything else but this until il was all
over, he would never leave this room
until nc left the world. He turned
YEARLY away from the window and
covered his eyes with his hand
There was n knock at the door. and
he responded feebly, "Come in" II
was too early for the doctor; it might
be- his landlady, who sometimes came
I in To SCI if he needed ANYTHING, and TO
/ give him his mcdicinr He heard the
rustic OF drapery, aud smelled faint.
sweet odor lie lifted his hand from
his eyes and beheld vision. A fair.
slender woman, clad in soft white null
! that seemed To make the room several
/ degrees cooler. was standing by the
| bed. She wore n bunch of heliotrope
in her belt, whose fragrance seemed
\ like blessed breath from that PARKWAY
noo'> he had been longing for only n
/ moment before; from under the fluffy.
/ fcathcry poke bonnet fell a slightly
| curling fringe of bright brown hair.
and pair of large violet ewes beamed
Oh him with a sweet compassion.
IIfa nj 80
/ truly; his face was sharp and sallow.
and beard about a week old added
much to his haggardncss. He must be
, very tall, for he seemed To- stretch away
from her indefinitely. a she stood Their.
nj the tcd's head, and he was thin TO
cmaciatiun.
This is Mr.. Hemingway" she said.
/ Mt last.
ut was once" he answered. wea-
rily.
Il am Miss Margaret Winthrop she
continued. II am DIR. Ainslces sister
in-law. believe YOU are his patient?"
'1Cs; Tom and are old friends. and
] remember your father very well.
Won't you be scated?" he asked. sud-
denly remembering his position rs
/ host.
She drew up the shabby armchair
and sat down by the bed. 1t was not
so easy to begin as she had imagined.
I" lie viii take me for a lunatic or an
assassin with designs upon imaginary
wealth. she thought. as she sat there
revolving her cold-bloOded scheme and
wishing she had deliberated upon il
more fully before taking this step.
But IL was too late to 30 back now.
What plausible excuse could She give
Tor having come there unattended? He
would tell Tom. Of course, that she had
been there. Tom would tel Annie.
who would look uuutterable things and
lecture her for n week. He had evil
IDENTIFY suffered much; he was lying
there 20 miserable and helpless; il