Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-03-13

: III take better care of her after this
, "Oh, SO Miss Nancy is to be Mrs, John
; Thrupp, is shea" laughed the doctor.
, "Yes she is, sir,n returned John, laughing
too out of the joy and relief of his own heart.
And as he ran down the road to catch the
tram that came juggling up, the clatter of the
horses hoofs and the bells on the harness
seemed to repeat the doctors capital sugges-
ton, Mrs. John Tlruppl"
The next visiting day, Sunday, John
Thrupp was again going from Manchester to
Pendlebury, ON the top Of the tram to see
Nancy. He was earlier this time. The clock
Of Pendleton church struck three they
passed. He remembered that, as he passed it
again, going back There was no the
bench that side of the car and John leaned
back with both arms over the seat, and his
hat tilted back over his forehead, enjoying
the sunshine and easy swinging progress Of
the car. 1t was like the gliding of his blrge
but emphasized by the regular trot, trot of
the horses. As the road grew pretty and tree
shaded after the change of horses at Pendle-
ton, his thoughts went back to the long sum
mer afternoon he and Nancy had SO often
spent together leaning over the side of her
fathers barge, as they slipped through the
water below, which was painted with little
dabs Of blue and red and yellow reflections
Of the gorgeous Windsor castle that decorated
the barge stern, and in return threw little
rurs and flashes OF light over the ideally
green iawns and woods of the picture.
he and old Bat sen. his cousin were part
neis In this barge-the Get Away--and lived
on board. Nancy lived OH shore with her
widowed sister In one of the little red brick
cottages that cluster along the various '.cuts"
Of the canals all over England They gener-
ally piled lackw ards and forwards on the
Grand junction canal, near Uxbridge, among
Nat meadows ana pollard willows 1t was
quite AN exception for her to have to come all
| the way 10 Manchester as size had done this
time, and she slept on shore each night in the
rough lodgings to be Ind along the canals
with Old Battsen. But she spent all her days on
the Get Away, keeping house, as she called it,
| for her father; peelins the potatoes and
| washing up the mugs in the gayly painted
| lin basins aud keeping the little cabin us neat
| as a mau-o-war's man. Sometimes she
lonned her great check sun bonnet, and with
a ittlo red and black plaid shawl pinned across
her bosom and a clean white apron (the out
! door full dress costume of tidy barge LASS she
steered or walked along tho path behind Old
Soldier, thc steady, powerful old gray, who
patiently trudged along in all weathers, drag
ging the capacious monkey boat with its
varying loads. He didn't need guiding, not
even in tile locks into which he drew the
barge, and then stood, slowly munching out
Of lis nose bucket, which Nancy kept like
silver, till he heard old Battsens epigrammatic
but comprehensive order-"G'up, Sodger"s
! Then on he went again, gradually drawing
I the slack rope out OF the water, dripping and
whipping the surface till 1t finally stretched
out tant, and the barge glided slowly out of
The lock. He knew exactly what to do with
! mt Nansyfs
Quick march, cap'en" or Halt, Solderl"
She used to declare that he minded being
! called Soldier" more than flick OF the short
! innded whip. He had been an officers horse
md was offended at being spoken to like
common trooper.
John smiled as he remembered how Nancys
augh ana the pat she gave Soldier with her
tile wet hand reached him as she said that
hey were just coming out Of the lock below
| Jxbridge; they had cargo of unbroken
| limits this time, and he remembered rs he
Jumped on board after working the lock
| ttes, just as she said it, the splash with
which one of the queer shaped white and
,tately tiints displaced by his foot went into
The canal.
| The sunny picture his slow fancy had called
up was suddenly followed by the remembrance
Il that other cold, drzzling evening q week
| from the barge to the path as they went under
the bridge at Stafford. John sat up suddenly
and for moment felt sick and cold, as he
| heard again the splash and quick little fright
ened cry within the thick shadow of that
hdeous arch. She had taken the jump scores
Of times, but this time she just missed the
/ bricked edge of the PATH and before her
father, who was at the helm, could get at her,
She went under,
John, who was several yards ahead with
the horse, saw her rise again between the
slowly approaching barge aud the brick path
TO which she chung; but bef0rebe could reach
her and draw her out of the water, sp;ism
of anguish on the girls face and one long
checked scream told him that the great lumber
ing barge had passed just one inch too near
the edge and had crushed, as it passed, the
slight form.
"Oh, good God"' muttered John, and drow
his breath sharply between his teeth; even
now it was all over and Nancy getting better
he couldn't think of it without shuddering.
How he dived under the barge and drew
out the now inanimate little body and lifted
| it to the many hands stretched out on the
! path; how lie and her father, white and shak-
ing with horror, took their silent, lifeless
burden to Gartside street, he did not clearly
remember.
Heremc mbered the policemans face clearly
A pale face, showing blue whare the chin was
shaved; and he remembered, too, that Nancy's
cllrls dripped on to the back of his hand in
! the ambulance carriage, she lay wrapped
in blankets across her fathers knee. But
after his own plunge into the water every
thing seeaed confused, and the things done
and said were like the unreal acts and words
of horrible dream.
"But she's all right now,n said John to
| himself, land when she's Mrs. John Thrupp
she shant run no more risks and lie gave
himself shake to pull himself together be-
fore he got of the tram when it stopped on
| the white road below the hospital.
He joined the group of mothers and fathers
nd friends, each with their bundles of
iothes, eggs ana mowers, Tor the patients,
going i'll twos and threes up the slope Some,
As he had done last week, were going for the
first time, and looked about them curiouSly;
but our baigee strobe on quickly, smelling
the huge bunch of stocks and flowers and
mignonette he was taking to Nancy He
knew his way, and nodded to the man at the
lodge rs IL he were an old friend
1t was the same blue and white nurse on
duty as porteress and John came in briskly
out OF the sunshine into the cool, gray corri-
dor, and took OH his cap with quite Il gallant
smile rs he said, before the nurse had spoken
this time:
ITO SEE Nancy Battsen'-and quite proud
Of his nowedge-added "in Hayward
Special, amt it'll Only myself ulease miss ~