The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1893-12-22
1 Mo1sTENED HIS LIPS.

1 MOlSTENED
half had knocked together a pretty
comfortable shanty. Then gathered a
great heap of frewood and was as ready
as could be for change of weather.
For some days Tom neither grew better
nor worse. When l insisted on it, he
would take bit of rabbit soup, but his
appetite was gone, and he lay for the
most part in a deep stupor. neither
speaking nor moving.
For three years we had knocked about
the Silver State together in hopes of a
"fnd." 1t had been hard life and a
rough one. We were more often hun
CRY than not, and up to the time of
Toms illness we had found nothing of
any consequence, but now-wel, if in
d1cations amounted to anything, we had
struck it rich, and our tens of thousands
were right in sight. 1t seemed doubly
hard for Tom to be bowled over just at
this time and harder still to know that
the chances were all against him. The
only hope had was that his robust con.
stitution would pull him through thia
mysterious illness, but as he lost
strength and grew weaker day by day
even this hope died away.
Liz CuluOOA ldoIGu nlLl6 udJS. IL
seemed as if summer had come back.
nursed Tom, gathered lot more wood,
made the shanty more comfortable and
dug grave for Tom on knoll 80 feet
back of the cabin. If he pulled through,
he would never know it; if he died.
could not leave his body above ground
to be eaten by the wild beasts. He had
hardly spoken since his illness, his men
tai faculties seeming to be benumbed,
and l was therefore greatly surprised
when came in from my grave digging
to find him looking better than for days
before. took it as sign that he had
passed the crisis and would now mend,
and was trying to cheer him up when
he said:
''Sam, heard you at work. You have
done right. You know you could have
depended on me to do the same"
''Why, Tom, old man, you are much
better todayi You are surely going to
pull through was digging bit to
run the water off if it came on to rain"
But he was not deceived. After bit
he told me of his old mother and sister
In the east and asked that his share of
the find might be sent them in case
things turned out right. That night the
Chinook" vanished as swiftly as a shad-
ow moves, and winter came bowling
down on us. 1t was the Goth of Deem
Der. Before morning it was far below
zero, and heavy snowstorm was raging,
and Tom had relapsed into his former
lethargic state. was in for it now for
sure-snowed up on the mountains with
ardying man for companion. From the
morning of the Goth to the afternoon of
the oath the man never uttered a word;
sometimes he would open his eyes as I
moistened his lips or forced little soup
down his throat, but he neither knew
nor saw me. knew by the look of his
eyes that he was stone blind. About 3
o'clock on the afternoon of the date Civ
en-, as I returned from the spring with
kettle of water, Tom quietly asked:
"Sam, is it near Christmas day?'
"Within few hours"
Sand you have got the grave ready?"
"Why. man, you won't need a grave
for years to come. Come, now, want
to try you with a bite to eat, and I'll
warrant you'll feel better for it"
But before / could get around to it he
had again become unconscious, and the
next and the last time ! heard his voice
was late that night; don't know but it
was Christmas morn, for it was mid
night or after when he moved an arm
and broke my sleep. By this time I had
of course given up all hope and realized
that it was only question of few
hours more. His long fast had reduced
him to mere skeleton, and during the
last two days could hardly get the beat
ing Of his pulse or heart. By the time
was awake, he said:
Sam, where are your cannot seet"
took his hands in misa aud bent over
him as said.