Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1885-01-08
DOLLAR PER ANNUM IN ADVANCE.

couldn't help himself--but getting the
stimulant into him was evidently no
easy matter. We could hear at times
what was going on behind the screen.
Dolly was evidently on her knees at
the bedside. Come now, Johnny;
that's right. There, lay your head
on my arm. That's better. Now,
Johnny, just open your mouth ever so
little. Only one little teaspoon. It'll
do you good. 1t will, really. Come,
Johnny, there's good boy, just for
your wife's sake. She II be here right
away. Come, just for my sake, John
ny. Come, open your mouth ever SO
little"
The words or the sndearing tones
prevailed. In half an hour young
man and two women, one about 80
and one quite young, both with heads
bowed and mufled 10 shawls, came in.
They were the mother, wife and
brother of the man on the, cot. All
went behind the screen. The brother
staid there only few seconds, leav-
ing the two women inside. The pa
tisnt had evidently returned to in
sensibility, In all my life l never
heard such terribly heart broken APP
peals 20, Johnny, Johnny, speak to
me One word, darling Don you
know meS Q, Johnny, my own John
ny !"
The voice, broken as it was, was
evidently the wife's. The appeals
met with no response. The whole
scene was as distinct as though no
screen existed. The mother came out
weeping, leaving the wife alone with
her husband. The poor creature
broke down in q despairing appeal
10, my God, help me r. 1t was about
IL p. m. The inmates of the ward
had been sitting up in their cots in
their anxiety to learn what was going
on When they heard the bereaved
wife's means they buried their faces
in their pillows.
The mother went behind the screen
and brought the wife out. AS they
passed out of the ward caught q
glimpse Of the wife's face. shall
not soon forget it. She was young
woman. Her face was the picture OF
hopeless misery and resignation. |
had seen that face before, where or
when could not at that moment recall.
1t came back to me that night In my
dreams. It was the face Of "Dolo-
rosa of Murillo's which had kept me
spellbound in Madrid many years
ago. aa-
| A half an hour or so after his wife,
departure Johnny began to show signs
Of returning vitality, due probably to
Dolly's applications Of the hot-water
tins and to the stimulants which she
administered. His voice increased In
strength. He yelled loud enough to
be heard in the next block. water
cistern," Water cistern r. He had
mistaken Dolly for Sister of Mercy.
He meant to use the words, Water
sister"
! went to sleep after this. When
woke an hour and half afterward, I
turned to the end cot. The gas was
turned low. The screen had been re-
moved. The cot was ready for the
next occupant. While was medita-
ting on death, life, rum, grief, folly,
love, and thousand other ideas that
the episode had awakened in my mind,
an attendant came through the ward.
| asked, pointing to the empty cot at
the end Of the ward us that poor
fellow dead ?"
dead ?" he answered. "If you
heard him down stairs in the ambu-
lance ward bowling for brandy and
water, and saw him doing his pref
test to wriggle himself out Of his
straiGacket, you'd think he was about
the liveliest corpse you ever saw. Be-
tween him and another jim-jam fell
low that they brought in late we have
got a picnic down there. We had TO
cart him down stairs, or not one Of
you could have slept a wink. o he's
all hunkyr