The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-01-27


| dinner when they see me and D"ynes is a
| bit down i the mug. In course they do bark
| bit when their stomachs is empty, but
alluS in an apOloRlSin' sort O. way, Ike as
| If they was ashamed O. theirsels for doln'
it. An then when | pats 'em, an tells 'em
| I'm very sorry, but there AIM anything tor
| 'em to eat, they'll wag their tails as much as
| to say, 1--WE catches your meanin' an
| winks," an then they ii go out an prig as
material as any Christian.
but latterly Use been so bothered wi
| this yer cough that kinder frighten people
away, an so DOyneSs vittles as been worse
ner ever. But 'e's been very good about it,
'E asn't grumbled much sim e saw as l
couldn't 'elp it. The other show-folks says
as 'ees selfish brute, but they're liars,
liars every one on 'em. Didn't e pick me
up when 1 was Il sniveling little brat by t
roadside, an 'asn't . KEEP ME wi him ever
sim ?''
Poor lass, she struggled bravely against
her Illness often keeping on her legs
through sheer force of will when weakness
made everything seem to swim before her:
But when she arrived here with lot of
others for the village tde-aS they call the
feaSt-1uSt a week ago, the tent In which
DOynes' Performing Dogs were wont to per-
form was not set up. Dolly Bo0s came sneak
ing in here late at night i'll mortal fear of
his wife-for Liz was a pariah among. her
people-and told me why, and gave me LIS
history as far as lie knew it. He came really
to relieve his conscience, believe. by ask
whether would do so when no pay was
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS old brute.
"Of course | did go, and l found things
even worse than he had told me- The cara
van was a fearlully dilapidated old rattle
trap, Weather-beaten and rotten TO the last
degree, and but for a couple of NANCY mon
grel ours which were crouching on the steps
there wasn't a sign of life about it. The
battered tin chimney gave out no smoke,
both doors were closely shut the windows
hal ,aN tad tnti IF
curtains. | knocked and went in. Every
thing was frightfully rulnOuS ana poverty
stricken, and there was plenty of evidence
to show that nothing had been done in the
tidying line lately. There was a bunk
against each wall at the opposite end. In
one of them the bearded face of man of
about five or eight and thirty showed itself;
IN the other lay woman, young, still good
looking, but terribly emacated, and evil
IDENTIFY in the last stage OF consumption.
Are you the dOc;or?' she asked. And |
told her that was land that Naltolski had
| sent me in to see her.
49, Yes, yes she said hurriedly, AN it's
| very kind o Yer 10 come to t likes o me. 1t
amt ketchln' i'm in is back where it used,
but 'igher up like. An there's a somethin'
| i is throat as makes i'm e don't want to
| eat sir. There's beautiful piece O. billed
| am aside i'm
And as poor Liz indicated the Wand in
| question L could see that she considered this
| REFUSAL W cat W ueu lOOu was ACTUALLY Will
in his reach as the most dangerous symptom
| OF all. In his case, also, the diagnosis was
simple one He might live week, q couple
| OF days, or lew hours, or lie might die in Il
| matter OF minutes.
" IN send him some beef tea told her
" But med cin'-giye i'm some med'cin'
as we'll an I'll pay yer WI the first brass we
gets; | will, s'help me bob"
1T is extraordinary what faith these peO-
pie put in drugs However, not that all the
flhN IN in tIa Il a 81 4 haxra slpy,n h
any good, but merely to paclfy her, 1 said:
Oh, yes, of course; it will come with the
beef tea And then tried to hint to her
how dangerously i'll she was herself. But
she burst out into a torrent OF abuse-prJb-
ably because l had confirmed her own ideas
and finished up by saying, vehemen tly:
= mustn't, cannot die, | willn't die!
There's DOynes there as helpless as e can
be, wus' n usual, in fact an if / types out,
who's to look arter 'un? No she cGntin-
ued, eXetedly, raising herself on one ell
bow, it's no use yec 'intin' at them out
Side-the other show-folkS They'd send
i'm to the 'ouse, they would, like as they
wanted TO do afore. But 'e'S mine, mine
all mine, an e shalln't be took away d!
Doctor she went on, first sinking back out
of sheer exhaustion and then raising her.
self up again and clutching at my hand
with the teyerish energy of despair, doc
tor, yer will gle me Sut,hing to max nus
strong agen, wllln't yer? SutthnE as ii
let me work the show agen, and get Doynes'
bits O stuff as e like. Oh, if We nobbut
knew CIV it wor'! I'm an the dogs as
been the only thing Pse ever 'ad Toto
like; an though folks sez the dogs is BEST
don't care-its i'm, it's DoyneS, as wants
rhang on fer
well, there she tainted slick away; and
from then TIL now Pye been messing
around that old caravan the most of my
time. l dare ay"-brasquely-"y think
me Bit of fool for doing it; but l
| couldn't help myself. Besides there was
no one else. The parson-who is a very
good fellow in his way, but lacking of tact
tried his hand; but Liz sent him about
his business very quickly, when lie started
lecturlnE her about her want of resigna-
ton, as he was pleased to term it; and she
can be pretty free with her tongue when she
| likes. Most of those SOFT Of people can be {;
its a part OF their business, you know.
AID tie natives, for some reason or other,
| refused to 90 near.
Il was there this morning, as usual, and
| hardly expected the girl to live another
hour. Indeed, she might have died any
minute, and 1t was her will alone that kept
her alive.
Flows e?' she would mutely ask every
! few mnutcc or so; and when l told her,
she would seem satisfied.
And so il went on till about an hour be-
fore you arrived here. Then DoyneS sud
denly stopped breathing. She noticed it
Immediately noticed it. in fact, before l
did and babe me look at him.
He was dead, and l told her so.
she smiled feebly, and beckoned me
down nearer TO her, and by laying my ear
close against her lips, / could just make out
the words above the pattering OF the rain on
the roof:
Told yer so-didnt die whites e might
want me. Say!-sel the caravan-give
Doynes-swell funeral-and-'
But that was all. She had FASTENED
after Doynes. "-AU the Year Round.