Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1895-11-30

~ WIZ
slider the situation she should have ex-
planned. She bought ~ new dress. n new
hat. and a thick veil, so as to he disguised
a. "A distance. As for escaping the doctors
acuteness by any Disguise should he meet
her face 10 face, that was impossible. But
her mind was made up-shr would rur
any risk, meet any danger, in order TO dis.
cover the meaning Of all this.
Next morning she returned BY an omnt
bus service watch would allow her 10
reach the cottage at about n quarter past
eleven. Sac cuose his time Tor two rta
soas: First, becaus breakfast was sent In
from the %restaul ant at eleven, and the two
gentlemen would certainly be ia the Sdttt
a muHgeF over that meal; and, next. be
cause the doctor always ~yisitei his pa
tient after breakfast She could, there
fore, hope TO get la unseen, wh,ch was tue
hrst thing.
Ia spare bedroom-that assigned TO tn.
pa ient-was Oh he ground floor, next &c
the dining ROOM. IL communicated val
the garden by French windows and by o
small h'gnt OF steps.
Fanny walked cautiously along the road
past tue garden gate; n rapid giance as
sured i.er that no one was there; size hast
lily opened the gate. aud slipped in. She
knew that the windows OF the sick-rOo ID
were closed ON the inner side, aud tue
blinds were still down. The patient,
therefore, had not yet been disturbed OF
visited. The windows of the dining. room
were on the other side of the house. The
woman therefore slipped round to the
back. where she found, as she expected,
the door wide open. In the hall she heard
the voices Of the doctor aud Lord Harry
and the clicking OF knives and forks. They
were At breakfast.
Que more thing-what should she say TO
OxDye? What EXCISE should she make
for coming backl How should sue per-
suade him TO keep silence about her pres
euce! His passion suggested "A plan and 0
reason. She had come back, sac would
tell him, for love OF MN. to watch over
him, unseen by ths doctor, To 90 away
with him when he was strong enough 10
travel. lie WAS u simple and "a candid
SOUL, and lie would faiI into such "A little
innocent conspiracy. Meantime, IL would
be quite easy Tor her to remain in the house
perfectly undlsturbed and unknown tc
either OF the gentlemen.
she opened the doc and looked In.
30 FAR, no reason would DE wanted. The
patient was sleeping peacefully. But NOT
Ia the bed. He was lying, partly dressed
aud covered VITA "A blanket, GA the sofa.
With the restlessness OF cou valesceuce he
had changed his couch in the morning ar.
ter "A wakeful night, aud vas now sleep
lug far into the morning.
Inc bed, AS is common In French
houses, stood in an alcove. A heavy cur
;aiu hung over = rod, also IN the French
manner Part OF TINS curtain lay over the
head OF the bed.
The woman perceived the possibility OF
using the curtain as IA meaus OF conceal.
meut. There was "a space OF a foot be.
tween the bed aud the wall. She placed
herself therefore behind the bed, in this
space, at the head, where the curtain en-
tIreiy concealed her. Nothing was more
unlikely than hat the doctor should LOOK
behind the bed in That corner. Then
with her scissors she pierced "a hole in the
curtain large euougn Tor ner To see Der.
fectly without the least danger of being
seen, anu she waited 10 see what would
happen.
she waited for half an hour, during
wnIcn ths sleeping man slept ol without
movement. ana the voices or rne W men
ia the sale a mdnqcr rose and fell in con-
versation. Presently there was silence,
broken only by an occasional remark.
'They have lit their cigars Fanny muir
INJURED: they will take their coffee, and in
a few minutes they will be here"
When they came in a few minutes later,
they had their cigars. and Lord Harry's
face was slightly flushed, perhaps with
the vine he had taken ut breakfast
perhaps with the glass OF brandy after his
coffee.
The doctor threw himself into a chair
aud crossed his legs. looking thoughtful
~ at his patient. Lord Harry stood over
him.
Every day." he said, 1.-The man gets bet
ter"
He has got better every day, SO far"
sale the doctor.
Every dav his face gets fatter and he
grows less like me-"
ut l. true" said the doctor.
"Then-what the devil are we 10 do"
"Wait a little longer" said the doctor.
The woman in her hiding place hardly
dared to breathe.
WHAT" asked Lord Harry. You mean
that the man. after all"
Wait n little longer" the doctor re-
peated, quietly.
Tell me'-Lord Harry bent over the
sick man eagerly-''you think"
Look he e." the doctor said, (which OF
Us two has had u medical edu~cation-you
or II"
You, of course"
Yes: l. OF course. Then I tell you as a
medical man, that appearances are some
times deceptive. This man, for Instance
he looks better: he thinks he is recovering;
he feels stronger. You observe that he is
fatter in the face. His nurse, Fanny Mere.
went away with the knowledge that he
was much better, and the conviction that
he was about to leave the house as much
recovered as such a patient with such q
disorder can expect
"Wellt"
We'll, my lord, allow me TO confide In
YOU. Medical men mostly keep their
knowledge in such masters to themselves.
We know and recognize symptoms which
to you are invisible. BY these symptoms
by these symptoms" ne repeated slowly
and looking hard at the other man, IL
know that this man-no longer Oxbye, my
patient. but-another-is In a highly dan
gerous condition. ! have noted the symp-
toms In my book"-he tapped his pocket
"for future use."
"And when-when-" Lord Harry was
fr%ightfully pale. His lips moved, but he
could not finish the sentence. The thing
he had agreed to was terribly near. and it
looked uglier than he had expected.
"Oh, whenf' the doctor replied careless
". Perhaps to day-perhaps in a week.
Here, you see, science is sometimes baftied.
| cannot saw"
Lord Harry breathed deeply. "If the
man ~ in so serious a condition." he said,
lis il safe or prudent for us to be alone In
the house without q servant and without
n nurse.p