Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-10-08
aFashin9ton Standard
AN ACTORS STORY
Related ny JOHN COLEMAN
CHAPTER VII
GOOD SAMARITANA

Willie and Curly had parted. Jameson
thought it strange, after all D maids pro-
testations, that Ia had never once written,
and the soft place in his heart grew sore.
At length the time arrived for the return
of the company to Aberdeen.
One day, taking solitary ramble In the
neighborhood OF the Gairloch Head, the
Young trageiian encountered lady and her
maid driving in an open pony carriage She
10 ,ked Al him, AMI bowed; he bowed again
as she passed. out II sight The face evoked
An impress on-not q recollection Yes he
had seen O face somewhere like that before
Could it BET Pshaw! M. This woman was
sterner and older-she was twenty years
older-and yet, how the face haunted him!
Next morning he found letter on the
breakfast table. 1t was an official 10 ,king
document, written on blue paper. On the
outside was printed in bold characters,
Royal Infirmary, Dundee" The super
scription was in a strange hand. Eagerly
tearing open the envelope, he read these six
wor1s:
DEAR WILLIE: Come to me.-CuRLY."
Feeble and indistinct as were the charac.
te-s. there was no mistake about the writer
Without watt g for fool or any thing else
Willie ran down to josinston's lod. .ngs
showed him the ct - AMI asked leave If
absence The manager, wno was not with
cut just cause t,r complaint against Gully
for 'bOlting" at a moments notice AMI
leaving him in the lurch, sad:
''GO, my iau-yo at onc,. There's some
thing wrong, depend on it Do You want
any tinr - -
Imay want something when get to Dun
dee."
"We,l-take ten pounds Will that be
enough"
Quite enough"
"Stop. Should you need any more send
for it, and tell tie young tesgar that the
old berth is open to him II he likes to come
back. Goodbye, and good luck to you
Drop me line as soon as you see how the
land liss, and take week leave of absence.
I'll play Macbeth tonight, and arrange the
business for the rest of the week without
you"
Next morning. by II o'clock, Jameson
was at tie in6rmary in Dundee DR.. Dixon
told him. as far as he knew. Ill that had
happened, then they went TO the invalid,
rom together. They found Lin sleeping
TRANQUILITY, but Ch, SO changed, SO worn and
wasted, the sight went to Willie's heart
When poor Curly awoke he looked up their
eyes met, there was a convulsive movement
about the mouth and the muscles OF the
throat then be gasped out the first articu-
late words no had uttered for months,
willie, dear old chap, knew you'd come"
With that, he put his wasted arms around
the others neck, and burst out crying like q
child, The doctor blow his nose till it re-
sounded like q speaking trumpet, and with
drew, leaving orders for tho two young men
to be left alone. Thanks to his influence,
they slept in the same room, SO that
&Ios, mot tod iYhf dou I,,r
ing his short visit. After that Curly's 70.
oovery, though still slow, was certain.
Jameson was, Of course, anxious to know
what had really occurred since their part.
ing, and how it vas that the accident or
outrage had happened One day be preached
tho subject but at the mere mention of
Floras name tho other fell into paro1ysm
Of grief, which was not only terrific to b.
i,uld, but caused q relapse Of so serious q
character Is to DO attended with great dan.
ger. That morning, when Dr. Dixon came,
be found the patient trembling, convulse1
and speeches.. III, work OF months had
been undone in an instant.
whats upr he inquired
When Jameson explained he grunted,
'Oh, q woman, OF course. I might have
known that; there always is woman!
That explains tho rest. There is a man,
then. doubtle@-another man-and he it is
who has smashed this poor lads skull Dye
ken the numbering their
Il think Ido," repliei Villa IF were
sure Of It'll Konly l were sure Of it."
ANYHOW, you may be quit sure Of one
thing" said Dixon ''The blow that nearly
bludgeoned your friend out of life came
rom loaded weapon Of some sort"
IT live" said the other. "pll find it out
Know tho mamie may escape the law,
but" and he set his teeth, The shall not
escape ma It may not be to-day, nor TO-
morrow, nor next week-but, sooner or
later, I'll have 1t out with him as sure as
my names Willie Jameson" And 90 the
matter dropped for the present.
The doctor gave Curly q composing
draught, and next day he began to mend
again, though slowly.
At the end of the week Willie had to re-
turn to Aberdeen 70 wind up the season and
to take his benefit. When 10 told Curly
that he must 60 he moaned piteously.
you're not going to leave me so soonp'
But be was treasured when Willie told him
that he would return in a fortnight.
When Jameson got back to Aberdeen he
recalled the mysterious lady. He under
stood well enough now who she was So he
went straight to MacAllister's house. and
asked to $50 Flora. He encountered the old
man, who was charac.eristically insolent,
aud demanded to know "what the blaxes he
wanted with his daughterr' A little inso-
lsnce went q long way with Jameson, who
could be dangerous when he was fingered,
aud Mr.. MacAllister concluded it was best
tobe civil, and even vouchsafed the informa-
ton that his daughter had gone to Elm
burgh on visit to her aunt. Upon the sub
1ect uppermost in both mems hearts they
did not even touch. Jemieson departed in
an svl mood to seek Deempster's house
Fortunately for tho Laird Of Strathmines, he
too had gons to Edinburgh.
At length IL was time to return to Dundee
for the commencement Of the season
Thanks to the consideration of the doctor
and the house surgeon the rules and regula-
lions OF the tnfrmary were relaxed In favor
Of their patient, and all tbs members Of the
company-men, women, and children-were
permitted to come and see him, bringing
little presents Of flowers and the like.
These visits, instead Of fatiguing, brought
him daily fresh breaths Of life from the
outer world, and be began to rally rapidly.
One day Elspeth MacDiarmid and her
husband cane over to see how he was get
ting on. The old woman bad brought him
handful Of primroses which shs had
paucked herself from the burnside.
Although he had no actual recollection Of
her, some finer instinct, which took tho
place OF memory, drew him toward her, and
he said: Kiss me- mother" As shs did 90.
E:speth's heart stirred within her at the
thought Of her own boy fighting in the wild
Nahratta wars far away, and tear IL on
the lads brow a, she turned from him In
silence. As shs was leaving the in Urinary
with Sandy, whom should she encounter at
tie door but Jameson, who had Just 10
turmoil from rehearsal SANDY, Sandyr
tho Of woman said, or rather sore ,mod.
Look at the laddie, the bonnie laddiei
haze seen him thrice by day and thrice by
NIGHT front to front WI yon muckle beast
with ths corbie's hoax end the evil oAn
lance In the kirkyard, yance IN the glen,
an yance in tho granite street. Twice
afoot, and vance IA Observation-Disclosures hand
to hand-ya1ce wi the bludy brand the
air. 500 them the noo-anI it's ave the
same BY day and NIGHT. OIL Aye! Ayei
I've dreoi my wsirir' And down she fell
Willie came up to help her, and when She
had recovered VIII oh she did varv eoo, -