The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-12-06
BY WORD OF MOUTH.

Dl WUlD OF MUUld.
tins author OF this story, Rudyard Kiplins, is
young Engiiahman who has lived most OF his life
h BEittah India. His stories Of that country
written during personal contact with is people
and the British army, have recently attracted a
great deal Of attention both in England and
Amorica.l
This tale may be explained by those
who know how souls are made, and
where the bounds of the possible are put
down. have lived long enough in this
country TO know that it is best to know
nothing. and can only write the story as
Il happened.
Dumoise was our civil surgeon at
Meridh, and we called him ''Dornouse," "
because he was a round little, sleepy lit
tie man. he was a good doctor, and
never quarreled with any one, not even
with our deputy commissioner, who had
the manners Of bargee and the tact Of
horse. He married girl as round
and as sleepy looking as himself. She
was Miss Hillardyce, daughter Of
Squash" Hillardyce of the Berars, who
married his chiefs daughter by mistake.
A honeymoon in India is seldom more
than q week long; but there is nothing
to hinder a couple from extending it
over two or three years. This is de-
hghtful country for married folk who
are wrapped up in one another They
can live absolutely alone and without
interruption, just as the Dormice did.
These two little people retired from the
world after their marriage, and were
very happy They were forced, Of
course, to give occadonal dinners, but
they made no friends hereby, and the
Station went its own way and forgot
them, only saying occasionally that Dor
mouse was the best of good fellows,
though dull. A civil surgeon who never
quarrels is rarity, appreciated as such.
Few people can afford to play Robin
son Crusoe anywhere--least of all in In
dia, where we are few in the land, and
very much dependent on each others
kind offices. Dumoise was wrong in
shutting himself from the world for
year, and he discovered his mistake
when an epidemic of typhoid broke ont
in the station in the heart of the cold
weather, and his wife went down. He
was shy little man, and five days were
wasted before he realized that Mrs.
Dumoise was burning with something
worse than simple fever, and three days
more passed before he ventured to call
on Mrs. Shute, the engineers wife, and
timidly speak about his trouble. Nearly
every household in India knows that
doctors are very helpless in typhoid.
The battle must be fought out between
death and the nurses, minute by minute
and degree by degree. Mrs Shute al
most boxed Dumoise's ears for what she
called his criminal delay, and went of
at once to look after the poor girl We
had seven cases Of typhoid in the station
that winter, and as the average of death
is about one in every five cases, we felt
certain that we should have 10 lose
somebody.
But all did their best. The women sat
up nursing the women, and the men
turned to and tended the bachelors who
were down, and we wrestled with those
typhoid cases for fifty-six days. and
brought them through the valley of the
shadow in triumph. But, just when we
thought all was over, and were going to
give dance to celebrate the victory,
little Mrs. Dumoise got relapse and
died In q week and the station went to
the funeral. Dumoise broke down utterly
ct tho brink of the grave, and had t. 5e
taken away.
After the death Dumoise crept into his
own house and refused to be comforted.
BE did his duties perfectly, but we all
folk that ha shors1H -, -, loo..o a Al.
other men Of his own service told him
%. Dumoise was very thankful for the
suggestion-he was thankful for any
thing In those days-and went 10 Chini
on q walking tour. Chtni Is some twenty
marches from SiInlA, in the heart Of the
hills, and the scenery b good If you are
in trouble. You pass through big, still,
deodar forests, and under big, still cliffs,
and over big, stin grass downs swelling
Ike woman's breasts, and the wind
aero@ tho grass and the rain among the
deodars says, ''HuHh-hush--hu hush So
little Dumoise was packed OF TO Chini
10 wear down his gTief with full plate
camera and a ride. BE took also use
less bearer, because the man had been
his wife's fsvOrite servant. He was Idle
and = thief, bat Dumoise trusted every
thing to him.
On his way back from Chini, Dumoise
turned aside to Bagi, through the Forest
Reserve which is on She spur Of Monnt
Huttoo. Some men who have travelled
moro than little say that the march
from Kotegarh 10 Baei is one OF the finest
in creation. II runs through dark wet
forest, and ends suddenly in bleak, nip
ped hill side and black rocks. Bagi dalx-
bungalow is opsn 10 all winds and Is bit
teriy cold. Few people go to Baa.
Perhaps that was the reason why Du-
moise went there. he halted at in the
evening. and his bearer went down the
hill side 20 the village 10 engage coolies
for the nErt days march. The sun had
set, end tho night winds were beginning
10 crooa among the rocks Dumoise
leaned on the railing Of the veranda,
waiting for his bearer to return. The
man eaEns back almost immediately Rf-
ter be had disappeared, aud at such
rats that Damoise enncisd be must have
crossed . bear. Hs Wa5 running as hard
a. he eOud up ~ fans Of the hlll.
But thsTo Wa no beaF 70 account for