Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-21


had recognized the speaker. His voice, raised
from the ordinary conversational tone. was
deep and sonorous, qualities emphasized by the
He spoke again. and his hearers observed 8
| hlskiness and broken utterance. like one who
battles against growing physical weakness.
| why. McCrary. are you so blind to all
| principles of right-that must appeal-as man
to man? Do you think-I-would join such a
terests of justice? Don't let US have any more
bloody work to-night. McCrary, you said once
| you d do anything for me. Don't fire again
on unarmed men! Let me be the hrst-and the
| last victim
He was sinking in the arms of one who stood
beside him. Blood was drenching his garments
At his last words Mike McCrary flung his rife
| backwards into the deep pool, and they heard a
| splash as it struck the water and sank.
| He leaped down from the dam and forced his
way to the side of the injured man. None who
heard him ever forgot his bitter cry;
| ''Oh, my God I've killed the DOCTOR They
| mode quick work of the dam after that. Long
before morning the Brook Iippling down
the canon, its old glad self. distributing its
| bounty throughout the valley and cheering the
| face of all the country.
CHAPTER xxvT-rHE DOCTORS STORY.
| why, Mike, understand. You thought it
| was your duty. You don't know me. Don't
| take on so, Mike. If anyone had to go it is bet
ter it should be me. l have--no one TO miss
| me-
mo one to miss him." What murmur of
contradiction arose. Who would be SO sorely
| missed by all the country?
weakly, ''Itl be all right in week or so.
| Now take place at the head where the heaviest
weight comes, Mike. Youth do penance enough
| over this rough road. -
When they got him home, those who knew the
| doctors radical preceI IS were still surprised
that he should decline their proposal to tele-
| graph for another physician.
| 81 understand my case best,' he insisted,
| Med is to be my chief nurse, and McCrary will
| assist him Now, friends, do not be offended If
| l thank you all and ask you to leave me. |
must prescribe rest and quiet for my patient.
He lay still, with closed eyes, for some min
| utes after the men had gone away. The sleeping
| room to which they had carried him was fur
| nished with the utmost simplicity. On the gray
| tinted walls was single picture, painting of
woman, evidently copied from miniature. The
| serious beauty of the highbred face arrested
| Ned attention. He had never seen face that
| could com pare with it, yet there was something
| IN the expression of the mournful eyes that was
| peculiarly sadGening.
He was relieved when the doctor finally spoke
| and he could withdraw his gaze from the fair
face with its sad, wistful eyes.
Ned Marshall didn't tell the whole truth
that night at the campfire. He CLOSED over
facts: l came out of the army suffering with
painful neuralgia trouble the result of gun
shot wound. took opium to ease the pain.
When got the better of the disease was
slave to the drug.
81 had a wife, and afterward little daugh-
ter. They were dearer to me than my own soul;
but man who once becomes enslaved by that
single grain OF the drug. My child fell sick.
We thought she would not get well. took
larger and larger doses. 1t helped me not to
care. sank lower and lower. had no money.
Re drug. Ned. did dastardly
bank that belonged to our dying child She
my wife-saw me. She pointed to the door. I
went out into the night an abashed. God-for-
saken creature. l slept under the trees in the
public park that night. thought the child was
dead but then and tn ere l swore to free myself
from that pernicious habit or die in the attempt.
| started out into the country. l can't tell you
the horrors went through. | walked, walked,
walked worked in the field. 1t was seed time
when l started out and harvest time when was
through. l was cured. But couldn't go back.
Ned, I'm not in the best bodily condition.
and this injury is going to bring back that old
trouble. L m afraid of myself. There's bot
tie of arsenic and bottle of morphine, side by
side on the shelf in my cabinet in the next
ROOM
I'll go and empty out the morphine-burn it
A contemptuous expression fitted over the
doctors face.
1.-THE principle on which they are trying to
run three-fourths of the reformatory institutions
in the country he said dryly. LAS if any
lasting good could ever be accomplished without
strengthening man $ moral nature. No, Ned.
Let the bottles stand there; only, if worst comes
to worst, if am weak as to beg for the opiate,
promise me you'll give me the quicker poison
first
The hero of many battles had one more to
fight, and it was a battle unto the death.
voice.
III I should get pretty low, Ned-so far gone
that there seems to be no other hope, | RupDOSe
DR.. Thompson had better be called in. just at
the last, for decency's sake. Idon't want to go
out of the world-and leave-a reputation for
pig headed obstinacy-behind me- But mind:
no opiates even if he prescribes them. -
81 don't believe you would take them if he
gave them to you. You underrate your own
moral courage, DR.. John,' said Ned earn
you don't know Ned said the doctor,
weakly. Only physician knows what cow
ardy, tyrannic forces these bodies of ours are;
how they buffet and COW the soul. Stronger
men than l have given up. Stronger men
than l. -
II don't believe human body ever held
stronger SOUL cried Ned in a burst of enthu-
siasm.
Thus the doctor glided into the heat of the
awful conflict that disease was about to wage
with the spirit for the possession of its abused
and worn out tenement.
After all it was Ned whose courage weakened
not the doctor.
One day there came upon the sufferer fright
full paroxysm of pain.
Ned forgot his promise, forgot everything
save that before him was Iying his best friend, |
suffering as it seemed mortal could long suf- |
fer and live, while near at hand was remedy |
that would silence the pain and bring him re-
lief.
de rushed into the next room seized the bot
tie and returned to DR. Johns bedside with it IN
his hand. Had he known the proper dose he |
would have measured it out; but he could only |
hold it out to DR.. John and beg him to take it.
Alook Of fearful longing, mingled with ter |
ror, shone in the sick man eyes as they fell |
the drug. Then he raised his cinched fist and |
trembling smote the bottle from the young |
man hand.
Back fell the sufferer on the pillow. A deadly
torpor stole over body and nina. His muscles |
relaxed; his limbs grew limp and motionless
No need of opiates now. Ned's frantic de- |
mands for some token that the doctor still rec
ognized HIM brought no response. The boys |
task ended.
Ned found Mike waiting below. They stared
at each other, trying to find words for what
they felt and courage to pronounce them.
Isis 1t that?" Numbered Mike at last
Eyes, Mike, l am afraid
"Any man but him If it had been any man
but hIm!' Mike finally broke out. ''What'u
the valley do without him? Who is there to take
his place"
THAT reminds me, Nike said Ned hastily.
az was to send for old DR.. Thompson in case
this-in case the worst happened. viii you
carty word now?''
When Ned had taken up post in the sick room,
Hope had hastily packed in avallse such articles
as she thought he would need, and carried it to
him herself. As she handed it to him. she had |
given him four folded silk handkerchiefs pres
ents from All Wing on as many successive Chi
nese New Years.
Ned" she had said. 1--WE shall all want to
know how the doctor is getting along ofteper
han can send or come. Keep one of these
handkerchiefs hanging out of the upper window
that looks towards the brook. The blue one if
he is worse, the white one If he is better the red
one if he will surely, surely get we'll. And OH
black one if there is no hope
In the early dawn, after Mike had gone on his
errand, Ned went TO the place where ne had laid
the handkerchiefs, ana untying the blue one
III r.nf.