Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-11-26
Continued from Yesterdays Issue)

Continued from Yesterdays Issue.)
w.
Full of this new purpose and OF the
vague hope inspired by it, was max
Ing my way back to the house OF the
Consul when l came upon two postal
couriers newly arrived from Tangier
on their way to Fee. They were drawn
up amid a throng Of the townspeople
before the Palace of the Grand Shereef,
and with the Moorish passion for pow
der play" they were firing their match
locks into the air as SALUTE and signal.
Sight of the mail bags slung at their
sides and of the Shereefs satchel which
they had come some miles out OF their
course to deliver, suggested the thought
that they might be carrying letters for
me, which could never come to my
hands unless they were given to me
now. The couriers spoke some little
English. I explained my case to them,
and begged them to open their bags
and see if anything had been sent for
ward in my name from Tangier to Fee.
True to the phlegmatic character OF the
Moor in all affairs of common life, they
protested that they dare not do so; the
UdSS WSIC jlCu anu SCdlCu, anu loAC
dare open them. If there were letters
of mine inside they must go on to Fee.
and then return to Tangier. But with
the usual results / had recourse to my
old expedient: bride broke the seals,
the bags were searched, and two letters
were found for me.
The letters, like those that came to
Fee, were one from my wife and one
from Wenman l could not wait until
/ was alone, but broke open the en-
yelopes and read my letters where I
stood. "A little crowd of Moors had
gathered about me-men, youths, boys
and children-the ragged inhabitants
of the streets of the holy city. They
seemed to be chatting and laughing at
my expense, but / paid no heed to
them.
Just as before, SO now, and for the
same reason, l read Wenman's letter
first. / remember every word of it, for
every word seemed to burn into my
brain like flame.
"My dear fellow" wrote Wenman,
II think it my duty to tell you that your
little son is seriously ILL.,"
/ knew it, knew it, who knew it so
well as I, though I was more than a
thousand miles away?
''Jt is a strange fact that he is down
with the very disease of the throat
which you have for so long a time
made your special study. Such, at
least, is our diagnosis, assisted by
your own discoveries. The case has
now reached that stage where we must
contemplate the possibility of the
operation which you have performed
with such amazing results. Our only
uneasiness arises from the circum-
stance that this operation has hitherto
been done by no one except yourself.
We have, however, your explanations
and your diagrams, and on these we
must rely. And even if you were here
this is not a case in which your own
hand should be engaged. Therefore,
rest assured my dear fellow ETC., ETC."
Blockheads! If they had not done it
already they must not do it at all.
would telegraph from Tangier that l
was coming. Not case for my hand.
Fools! fools! 1t was a case for my
hand only.
| did net stop to read the friendly
part Of Wenman's letter, the good
souls expression of sympathy and
cOliS1luuC, Jul III lli0 lCNcl VI lily ILL
patience, sweating at every pore and
breaking into loud EXPLANATIONS, tore
open the letter from my wife. My
eyes swan over the sheet and l miss
ed much at that first reading, but the
essential part of the message stood
out before me as if written in red
1--WE. SO delighted your
letters. Glad your are having
warm beautiful weather. Trust
make you strong and WE'LL
We are having billiards. here, :.
showing to-day. l am sorry to
tell you, dearest, that our darling is
very i'll. 1t is his throat again. This
is Friday and he has grown worse
every day since | wrote on Monday
When he can speak he is always call
ing for you He thinks if you were
here he would soon be well. He is
very weak, for he can take no nourish-
ment and he has grown so thin. poor
little fellow. But he looks very lovely
and every night he says in his pray
ers. God bless papa, and bring him
safely home !"
l could bear no more, the page in
my hands was blotted out, and for the
first time since | became a man
broke into flood of tears.
o, Omnipotent Lord of Heaven and
earth, to think that this child is as life
Of my life, and soul of my SOUL that
he is dying, that l of all men can save
him, and that we are twelve hundred
miles apart! Wipe them out, o Lord
wipe out this accursed space dividing
us; annihilate it. Thou canst do all.
Thou canst remove mountains, and this
is but little thing to Thee. Give me
my darling under my hands and I will
snatch him out Of the arms of death
itself.
Did l utter these words aloud out of
the great tempest of my trouble? I
cannot say; do not know. Only when
/ had lifted my eyes from my wife's let
ter | became conscious of where l was
and what was going on around me. 1
was still in the midst Of the crowd of
idlers. and they were grinning, and
laughing, and jeering, and hooking at
the sight of the tears-weak, womanish,
stupid tears-on the face of a strong
man.
was ashamed. but was yet more
angry, and to escape from the danger
of an outbreak of my wrath l turned
quickly aside, and walked rapidly down
a narrow alley. AS l did so q second
paper drOpped to the ground from the