Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-10-05
Mr.. NELSON'S WILL.
EY II. RIDER

great calamity, we forget u quarfeiS anC
our spites and are ready 10 jump at tht
prospect OF the human companionship o
our deadliest enemy. And 'the moral Of
that is as the White Queen says, that Ms
we are all night aad day face TO face with
the last dread calamity-Death-we should
throughout our lives beh;Ge rs though wc
saw the present shadow Of mis- mind. But
that will never happen in the world while
human nature is human nature-and when
will II become anything else1
Put mp tho door again" said Augusta,
when, from "a rather rush Of air than
usual, she gathered that her visitor was
within the hut.
Mr.. Meeson obeyed, ~groaning audibly.
''Those two brutes are getting drunk, " he
said, Swallowing down rum by the gal
Ion. l have come because / could not
stop with them any l0nger-and / am so
i'll, Miss Smithers, 50 i'll! / believe that /
am going to die. Sometimes / feel as
though all the marrow in my bones were
ice, and-and-at others just as II come
body were showing q red-hot wire up them.
Can't you do anything Tor me?"
II don't see what is to be DONE" an
swered Augusta, gently, for the mans
AAAfNN NCAANAANAA AtA III lDlAt " lANA AlNlAht
OF him. You had better lie down and try
to go 10 sleep"
'"ro Sleep he n,oaned: chow can
Sleep My blanket Is wringing wet and
my clothes are damp" and he fairly broke
down and began to groan and sob.
Try and go to sleep urged Augusta
again.
He made no answer but by degrees he
grew quicter, overwhelmed, perhaps, by
the solemn presence Of the darkness. Au-
gusta laid her head against the biscuit
bag, and at last sank into blissful oblivion;
for 70 the young sleep is q constant friend.
Once or twice she woke, but only TO drop
of again; and when she finally opened
her eyes it was quite light and the rain
had ceased.
Her first care was for little Dick, who
had slept soundly Throughout the night
and appeared to be noae the worse. She
took him outside the hut and washed his
face and hands in the stream and then sat
him down TO a breakfast OF biscuit. AS
she turned, she met the two sailors, who,
although they were now fairly sober, bore
upon their faces the marks OF q fearful
debauch. Evidently they had been drink
ing heavily. She drew herself up and
looked at them, and they skunk pas. her In
silence.
Then she turned TO the hut. M. Meeson
was sitting up when she entered, and the
bright light from the open door fell full
upon mis- face. His appearance fairly
shocked her. The heavy cheeks had fallen
in, there were great purple rings round
the hollow eyes, and his whole aspect
was one OF a ma in the last stage Of IL
ness.
Il have had such a nightp' he said.
"Oh, Heaven such Il night! I don't be-
lieve that | shall live through another"
Nonsense said Augusta, 'eat some
biscuit and you will feel better"
He took a piece OF the biscuit which she
gave him, and attempted to swallow it,
but could not.
at IS no use" he said; "I am q dying
man. Sitting In those wet clothes in the
boat has finished me-"
And Augusta, isoking at his face, could
not but believe him.
CHAPTER Ix-AUGUslA TO II RESCUE.
After breakfast-that is, after Augusta
had eaten some biscuit and a wing that re-
manned from the chickens she had man
aged TO cook upon the previous day-Bill
and Johnnie, the two sailors, set 10 work
at her suggestion 70 hx up 3 long frag-
rrent Of driftwood on q point OF rock and
30 bind on TO 1t g flag that they happened
TO ind in the locker Of the boat. There
wa not much chance OF it's being seen by
anybody In that mist-laden atmosphere
even IL anybody came there to see it, OF
which there was still less chance; still,
thay AfA u M a aN~t - 4Yt~ a. tEa sF~,.
CHS task was finished 1t was midday, and
for a wonder there wa little wind and the
sun shone out brightly. On returning 10
the nuts, Augusta got the blankets out 10
dry, and set the two sailors 70 rcast some
OF the eggs they had found on the previous
day. This they did willingly enough, for
they were now quite sober and very much
ashamed of themselves. Then, after CIV
ing Dick some moro biscuit and four
roasted eggs, which he took 10 wonderful
ly. she went TO Mr.. heeson, w, was ~
ing groaning in the hut, and persuaded
htn 20 come and sit out In the warmth.
BY this time the wretcked mans con-
&Eon was pitiable, for, though his
strength was still whole in HIN, he was
persuaded that he was going 10 die, and
could touch nothing but some run and
water.
'Miss Smithers, 7" he said, as he sat shiv-
ering upon the rocks, II am going to die
In this horrible place, and / am not ft to
diel To think Of me-" he went on with q
sudden burst OF his old fire, Ito think Of
my dying like q starved dog in the cole,
when l have two millions Of money wait
ing to be spent there in England, Aad
/ would give them all-yes, every farthins
Of them-to ind myself safe at home
again BY Joye! / would change places
with any poor devil of a writer in the
Hutches! Yes. I would turn author on
twenty pounds a m~oathl-that will give you
some idea Of my condition, Miss Smithers!
To think that / should ever live To say
that I would care to be q beggarly author.
who could not make a thousand q year IL
no wrote till his fingers fell of~fl-ohi-ohr'
and he fairly sobbed at the horror and
degradation of the thought.
Augusta looked ut the poor wretch and
then bethought her OF the proud creature
she had known, raging terribly thrc-ga
the ~obsequious ranks Of clerks, and carry
Ing desolation to the Hutches and the
many-headed editorial department. She
looked and was filed with reflections ON
the m~utability Of human affairs.
Alas, how changed that Meeson.
"Yes," he e on, recovering himself q
little. 81 am going to die In this horrible
r1ona ,uA all ~,- rcpSu ill .x< auoN