Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-11-27


my hand.
you've cut your fingers, doctor" he
said.
There was blood on them. The blood
was not mine, but a sort of mechanical
cunning came to my relief. | took out
my handkerchief and made pretense "
bind it about my hand.
Alec, the guide, was at my right mana
settling my numbering foot in the sur
rup felt him touch the sheath or my
knife, and then l remembered that II
must be empty.
"Sidi has lost his dagger" ne said.
sLook!"
The Consul, who had been on my left,
wheeled round by the horses head,
glanced at the useless sheath that was
stuck in the belt of my jacket, and then
looked back into my stupid face.
"Sidi is ill., he said quietly. Ride
quickly, my men; lose no time; get MIN
out of the country without delay.
| heard Alec answer, Right, all
right
Then the Consul's servant rode UP
he was a Beforehand took his place
at the head of our caravan.
"All ready?" asked the Consul in
Arabic.
Ready" the men answered.
Then away as if you were flying for
your lives"
The men put spurs to their mules;
Alec gave the lash to my horse, and we
started.
Goodbye, DOCTOR" cried the Con-
sui. MAY you find your little son bet
ter when you reach home
| shouted some incoherent answer in
a thick, loud voice, and in few min
utes more we were galloping across the
plain outside the town.
The next two hours are a blank in
my memory In kind of drunken
stupor rode on and on. The grey light
deepened in to the darkness of night,
and the stars came out. Still we rode
and rode. The moon appeared in the
Southern sky and rose into the broad
Whiteness of the stars overhead Then
consciousness came back to me, aud
with it came the first pangs of remorse.
Through the long hours Of that night
ride one awful sight stood up con-
stantly before my eyes 1t was the
sight of that dead body stark and cold
lying within that little sanctuary be-
hind me, white now with the moon
light, and silent with the night
Father, reached my home at last.
AT Gibraltar l telegraphed that l was
coming, and at Dover l received a tel
egram in reply. Four days had inter-
vened between the dispatch of my mes
sage and the receipt of my wife's. Any
tnlng might have happened in that
lime and my anxiety was feverish.
stepping on to the Admiralty pier I saw
telegraph boy busting about among
the passengers from the packet with a
telegram in his hand.
What name?" | asked.
he gave one that was not my own
and yet sounded like it.
- looked at the envelope. Clearly
the name was intended for mine. T
snatched the telegram out of the boys
hand. 1t ram
Welcome home; boy very weak,
but not beyond hope"
think 1 read the words aloud. amid
all the people, so tremendous was nv
rellef and overwhelming my joy. The
messenger got gold coin for himself,
and / leapt into the train.
At Charing Cross | did not wait for
my luggage, but gave a foolish tip to
the porter and told him to send nv
things after me- Within half a min
ute OF my arrival | was driving out of
the station.
What | suffered during those last
moments of waiting before I reached
my house no tongue OF man could tell
l read my wife's telegram again. and
observed for the first time that it was
now six hours old. Six hours! They
We're like six days to my tortured
mind. From the moment when we
turned out of Oxford street until we
crew up at my own door in Wimpole
street, [ did not once draw breath.
And being here | dare hardly lift nv
eyes to the window lest the blinds
should be down.
had my latch key with me, and I
let myself in without ringing. A mo-
ment afterwards | was IN my darlings
room My beloved wife was with our
boy, and he was unconscious That
did not trouble me at all, for | saw at
glance that | was not too late
Throwing off my coat, | sent to the
surgery for my case, dismissed nv
dear girl with scant embraces, drew
my darling's cot up to the window and
tore down the curtains that kept out
the light, for the spring day was far
spent.
Then, being alone with my darling.
/ did my work. | had trembled like
an aspen leaf until l entered his room,
but when my time came my hand was
as firm as rock and my pulse beat
like a child's.
| knew | could do it and I did it,
God had spared me to come home, and
/ had kept my vow. l had travelled
ten days and nights to tackle the work.
but it was short task when once be-
gun.
After l had finished I opened the
door to call my wife back to the room
The poor soul was crouching with the
boys nurse on the threshold, and they
were doing their utmost to choke their
sobs.
There" I cried, there's your boy
He'll be all right now"
The mischief was removed and
had never a doubt of the childs re-
coyery.
My wife flung herself on my breast,
and then | realized the price had paid
for so much nervous tension. All the
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