San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-05-12

while arranging the bed clothes, and
found them as cold as the snow drift upon
the floor.
The storm was forgotten. The immi-
nent danger of the topping shanty was
UNDECIDED Her husband was dying
While death was gnashing at them from
the outside, that devoted wife and son
worked to drive the grim terror from the
inside. Mickey replenished the fire. He
heaped it high with wood until the sparks
flew out of the chimney and mingled
with the eddying snowfakes. Mrs. Finn
heated flannels and placed hot irons at her
1nsensible husbands feet Together she
and her boy forced his mouth open and
poured brandy down his throat, at least
half Of the fiery liquor being split on the
pillow. The chimney fell with a crash,
but they worked on and needed it not.
The drift on the floor had been getting
higher and an occasional furry of snow
came in between the rafting sashes. And
still the mother and boy fought against
the black angel whose wings were hover
ing over the insensible figure on the bed.
Mrs. Firms face was bathed in tears, but
no cries escaped her lips. Little Mike.
with shining eyes and pallid lips, ran back
and forth between the bedroom and the
kitchen, carrying hot fannels, now rub.
bing his fathers icy hands, and then
cheering his mother with hopeful words
until the reluctant blood began to flow,
and faint color, such as heralds COM
ing dawn, flushed the pale face upon the
pillow. But Mrs. Finn knew that the
crisis was not yet passed.
whisper, Mickey" said she, closing
the bedroom door softly behind her. Plac.
ing her rough, red hands upon his shout
ders, she told him to look into her face.
And there they stood in that darkened
room, looking into each others eyes with
the freight throwing it's Pickering
shadows over them. Whisper! Dye
think could ye get tn docther? He's
cowld around his heart yet, and he'll die
agin tn mornin' if tn docther's not here
wild his drugs
"Yis, mother, yis. I'll git him" said
little Mike, simply, the color on his face
deepening and his heart beating wild
tattoo against his ribs.
"Now, quick! put on yer fathers boots,
wrap this shawl round yer shoulders, put
on yer fathers gloves, an'-an' Mrs
Firms voice trembled) "God be wild ye,
me b'y!"
Mrs. Finn stopped down and kissed her
son. She pressed him to her heaving
bosom in an embrace which was so close
that he gasped for breath. Then he went
out into the night and the door was shut.
Mickey stepped into snowdrift up to
his neck when he left the stoop. AS he
foundered out of this feecy quicksand he
rounded the corner of the shanty a2d was
banged against the fence, stunned and
breathless. How he got into the road he
never knew. Here the wind had car
romed down from the Catskills and swept
the road as clean as a barn floor after
threshing. But that awful gale beat
upon him like hail of carpet tacks. 1t
stung his flesh even through his trousers
But Mickey set his teeth together hard
and zigzagged up the old point road like
vessel beating in head wind until
he reached the shelter of friendly hill.
Here he encountered the snowdrifts
again. They rose before him like success
sive escarpments. He scaled those packed
hard by the wind. He struggled through
others like lifeboat through the pillows.
When he reached the doctors door he
was so nearly exhausted that he could
only reach the bell by crawling on his
hands and knees. He jerked the bell cord
so vigorously that the bell rang like fire
alarm through the silent halls. Then he
listened. For five minutes there were no
sounds of life in the house. Then a lamp
twinkled at the head of the stairway,
which he could see us he peered through
the keyhole. There was patter of slip
pered feet in the hallway. The big door
swung open and the vicious wind dashed
in and blew out the light.
"Who's there?" said voice.
'It's me-, was the reply.
who's mel"
Mickey Finn"
"Why, my little fellow, what are you
doing out on such an awful night as this?'
said the doctor, as he closed the door be-
hind the snow boy who entered.
Mickey couldn't reply at first, he shivered
so. Besides, his eyelids were fringed with
ice work, and mask of ice was over his
face. There was big lump in his throat,
too, as he stammered out:
MINNIE fader's d-d-dyin', sir. An
would We Gomez
Mickey brushed the ice from his lashes
and looked at the doctor with his soul in
his big brown eyes. The physicians eyes
orro1v ,,,o;S+ oS ba ca1ad unon tbot 90 par