Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-04-27

there minute after minute ana see his lie
ebbing away.
Il don't think I shall last much longer,
jess. God bless you, DEAR he said. The
place is beginning TO go round and round
Poor soul, she could only Shut her teeth
and wait for the end.
Presently Johns pressure on the wounded
artery relaxed, and he tainted of. and, oddly
enough, just then the flow of blood diminished
considerably. Another five minutes, and she
heard the quick step of the doctor coming up
the path.
thank God you have comet He has bled
dreadfully."
Il was out attending poor fellow who
was shot through the lung, and that fool Of
woman waited for me to come back, instead
Of following. have brought you an orderly
instead of her. BY Jove, be has bled. sup
pose the silk has slipped. Well, there is only
one thing for it. Orderly, the chloroform."
And then followed another long half hour
of slashing and tying and horror, and when
at last the unfortunate John opened his ewes
again he was too weak to speak. and could
only smile feebly. For three days after this
he was in dangerous state, for il the artery
had broken out for the third time the chances
veins, he would die before anything could be
done for him. At times he was very ielirious
from weakness, and these were the dangerous
hours, for it was almost impossible to keep
him quiet, and every movement threw jess
into an agony of terror lest the silk fastcnngs
OF the artery should break away. Indeed,
there was only one way in which she could
keep him quiet, and that was by LAYING her
slim white hand upon lis forehead or giving
it to him to hold. Oddly enough this had
more effect upon his fevered mind than any
thing else. For hour after hour she would
sit thus, though her arm ached and her back
felt rs if it were going to break in two, until
at last she was rewarded by seeing his wild
eyes cease their wanderings and close in
peaceful sleep.
Yet with it all that week was perhaps the
happiest time in her life. There he lay, the man
| she loved with all the intensity of her deep
| nature; and she ministered to him, and felt
that he loved Ter, and depended on her as a
babe upon its mother Even in his delirinm
her name was continually on his lips, and
| generally with some endearing term before
| it. She felt in those dark hours of doubt and
sickness Us though they two were growing life
| to life, knit up in Il divine identity she could
was so, and she beievcd.that, once being SO,
whatever her future might be, that COM
munioa could never lie dissolved, and there
fore was she happy, though she knew that his
recovery meant their lifelong separation. For
though jess had once, when thrown utterly
of her balance, given her passion sway, it was
not thing she meant to repeat. She had, she
| felt, injured Bessie enough already in taking
her future husbands heart That she could
not help now, but she would take no more
John should 60 back TO her sister,
And so she sat and gazed at that sleeping
man through the long watches of the night
and was happy. There lay her joy. Soon he
would he taken from her and she would lie
left Gcsoiate, but while lie lay there he was
hers. 1t was passing sweet to her woman's
heart to lay her hand upon him and see him
sleep, for this desire to watch the sleep of a
beloved object is one Of the highest and
strangest manifestations Of passion. Truly,
and with keen insight into the human heart
has the poet said that there is no joy like the
| joy of Il woman watching what she loves
| asleep.
The time went on and the artery broke out
no more, and then at last came morning
when John opened his eyes and watched tho
kItic. e1TNeSt i;ice DeiidlU, OVER ului Us tuOuC
he were trying to remember something. Pres
emily lie SHUT his eyes again lie had remem
bcrcd.
Il have been very i'll, jess, !" he said, after O
pause.
AYES, John"
.And You have nursed Iles
ayes, John"
s"Am going to recoverr
"Of course you are"
He shut his eyes again.
Il suppose there is 10 news from outsider
mo more; things are just the same"
'Eor from Dcssie!'
"NoIc; we are quite cut off,"
Then came Il pause.
"Jolr," sail Jess, IL want to say something
to You. When people are delirious, Or wher
de,iriun is coming Oh, they sometimes say
things that they are not responsible for, ant
which had better he forgotten
"Ycs.r lie said: * understand"
$50" she went on, in the same measured
tone, i've will forget everything you maj