The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-11-08


"Take him this, he will get all right, said
Kitty, giving him some brandy in glass
and bottle of soda water. THAT won't
hurt him, though he will have to knock it
of and pull himself together, for this child
is going to look after him" she added to
herself
Very soon the Katr came back. THE
baas he drink the brandy and throw de soda
at Inc. l think him going mad" he said
rubbing his head
Kitty was not much alarmed; she had
seen a gooi deal of that sort of thing. She
wondered whether it would to any good, if
it were possible, to persuade Jack to become
a Good Templar. She felt afraid that it
would not be very easy and that he would
shun the rejoicing there would be over him.
He wanted some one to keep him straight
she thought, and woman-like, she began tc
believe that one of her sex could do it
After some time Jack came out of his room
He had blank stare on his face and sait
nothing, but walked into the street withou
his Lat on He was evidently queer. very
queer, Kitty thought, as she led him back
to his room and then sent her boy for the
doctor.
HE is in for a bad 60 Of fever; rather a
nasty case-typhoid symptoms; knocked his
constitution to bits with drink" said the
doctor. He will want lot of looking
after He had better 60 to the hospital-the
free ward-the paying wards are full; moi
that they would be much in his line if they
were not, he added.
u think he had better stay here, DOCTOR
answered Kitty. Il will see after nursing
him; you know, doctor, nursing is rather
my forte"
The doctor was right; it turaed out a
very nasty case of fever, and for weeks it
looked very black. For the time the
"Frozen Bar" lost its popularity. Kitty
was hardly ever there, and when she was
there was very little fun in her. She wa
always afraid that her customers would
make too much noise. The old merry, al
most reckless look had left her and there
was more tender and soft expression in
her face She spent most of her time in g
room behind the house-the coolest and best
bedroom she had. Its late tenant, one OF
her most solvent boarders, had been some
what disturbed and good deal affronted
at being moved out of it But Kitty was
determined to have it for the sick man,
who for weeks was tossing on the bed iI
delirium For a long time he did not rec
ognize her or know where he was, and was
again Then the delirium left him and he
knew her, though he hardly seemed to ask
himself where he was or how she came t.
be looking after him. Perhaps the hours
that poor little Kitty spent nursing him al
he got better were some of the happiest in
her life. Then he was never happy when
she was away from him, and he used te
watch her as a sick dog watches its MASTER
He seemed so different, SO much more like
what he had been once and 50 unlike what
he had become on the diamond fields
When he grew stronger and able to talk
about how he became ill, tears came into
his eyes when he thanked her for her kind.
mesa IF it had not been for you l should
have gone to old Sloeman's place at the
West End, and if i had not died there
should have become one of his lot, he said;
chow good you have been to me-"
As he grew stronger she began to think
that he knew her secret, and there was
something more than gratitude for her.
Then she hardly ever came near him He
did not want any more nursing, she thought
One day ne bad got up, and she had been
talking to him in her old CHEEKY manner,
telling him that he could pull himself to-
gether, and do as we'll as any one else,
when what she had been half expecting
cana
"Hers was the only influence" he said,
(which couli keep him straight He knew
she cared for him. II she would marry
him he would be able to keep away fron
drink"
She told him the truth; she did care
for him She would marry him if he
wanted it, and would care to marry her.
But he must show her first that he could re-.
form She knew that she was no great
shakes" she said, but she wasn't going ia
marry a man she could not trust to keep
away from drink.
He promised that he would reform, and
it was agreed that they were to wait year
and then they were to be married and leav e
the diamond fields, and go to some other
colony. He was no great prize, this shat.
tered invalid, who was far more likely than
not to return to his old ways But Kitty,
for all that, had hard struggle with her.
self not to take him as he was, instead of
waiting and perhaps losing him altogether
mo, she would not marry him there, it
wouldn't be fair to him." she said, "she
would wait till he was the man he was be-
fore he ever took to drink, and then if he
cared to marry her shs would be the proud
est woman in the world"
Then she talked over plan she had for
him She had bought some claims in the
mine, he must work them for her. She was
sure the ground would turn out well, and
they would make lots of money.
That is how Jack Hope, who had utterly
gone to the bad in the opinion of most men
who knew him, got start again.
OF course, their claims ought to have
turned out we'll and they ought to have
found Zig diamond, which would have
made their fortune all at once. But Kitty S
belief In claims proved to be rather un.
founded; some weeks they paid expenses,
some they did not Jack Hope ought at
once to have become q reformed character,
but he did not More than once work was
at standstill in their claims for days, and
he had come to Kitty, shamefaced and bag
gard, with a sad story of transgression to
tell But she persuaded him to try again,
and did her best to keep him straight, and
at last he became stronger and better. Men
began to think that ne had some chance, he
had been steady for a long time Kitty
was going to succeed in making something
of him He began to take soma pride in
himself and at the end of twelve months he
was better man than he had been for
years
At that time there was an outbreak of
Aaurs ana GflquaS On the border or tho
province, and troops were raised on the dia-
mcnd fields There was plenty of military
enthusiasm Times were bad, and the dia-
mond fields answered to the call for men to
serve their country at shillings day.
Store-keepers who could supply uniforms,
and tran>port-riders who had wagons and
oxen, came forward to help their country
a it's hour of need 1t considerable prodt
o themselves For Hope. the chance was
ust what he longed for.
Kitty did not try to prevent him from
toing out for she thought it was the best
hing he could do. She knew all his his