Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-10-27

ouoAA AuAonesy A1Aeuus preached ana
prophesied and what they all tried to
believe-all but poor Maynard, who felt
sure there would be a sharp fight all be-
cause he wasn't there to win his spurs.
From more causes than one he was pro-
foundly unhappy, feverish and intracta-
BILE, and the doctor had to chide him
earnestly when he called later to see
him.
"This won't do, SIR was the medi.
co.'s rebuke. "By good rights you ought
now to be nearly we'll enough to mount
and ride, but you've been chatting, fret
ting and retarding your recovery. I'm
not so deficient in the matter Of patients
as not to be lble to spare few, and you
ought to be helping, not hampering me.
l suppose you know Miss Baird is quite
ill.,
Miss Baird"' stammered MAYNARD,
his face filling instantly with anxiety,
his fine yong eyes clouding. Not a
word had Grace said to him upon the
subject.
Eyes. You knew she went to town
today?"
l-heard her say that she would
go, faltered the lieutenant.
well" continued the doctor, "God
only knows what that poor child has
been going through but she's all un-
strung, all broken up, and although she
has youth and strength and elasticity
in her favor and will probably recover
in short time she is utterly Frustrated
tonight. Now, if you were only able TO
be about
"I?' interrupted Maynard. "What
then? You know well enough that am
fit for many kinds of work even now. -
Not for trailing the gang of sharps
that we've searched in vain for today"
said the doctor. Even the police could
not locate them. Yet some one of their
number has some hold on that poor girl
the big, burly tough they call Boston,
fancy, and after getting every cent of
her earnings he gets into knife scrape
last night, has been stabbed, sends foA
her and asks her to raise $50 more for
him and then sends her tottering home
more dead than alive. l suppose the
money is needed to buy him out of some
trouble and start him away from here,
but that's only my theory. She will not
tell anything about him, which con-
firms my belief that he's a jail bird.
Now, what can girl like her be doing
with a man like that?'
Maynard WINGED as though the doctor
had used an actual instead of verbal
probe.
"You never heard her speak of any
| oSiya cd l.
scarchingly.
"No," was the short answer, and
Maynard S face looked white and drawn.
He arose from his easy chair and limped
to the window and gazed miserably out
upon the starlit heavens and the flicker
ing lamps across the dim parade. He
wished the doctor in Jsricho, and that
practitioner was not sloM to see it.
swell, I'll leave you, youngster, !"
said he patronizingly. "What you've
got to do to pull out of this is to quit
fret and worry if you want to get after
the field column. So long," And then
he went trotting down the stairs where
feminine voices had been heard for some
little time in conversation. Mrs. Stan
nard was away with Mrs. Barry. It
must then be Grace Maynard and her
now lnseparable friend, Mrs. Turner
The latter pounced upon the doctor with
cooling inquiry for "poor Miss Baird''
and was briefly told that the trouble
seemed to be nervous prostration more
than anything else. "What your broth
e- needs is freedom from worry" he
began at once. "He is fretting himself
into another fever and the doctor
turned abruptly to Miss Maynard--he
couldn't bear Mrs. Turner. CHOW I'm
| going to send over sedative that he is
to take, for he's very nervous and fret.
full tonight. -
With that and blandly unconscious of
the fact that much of the nervousness
was due to his own ministrations the
little man departed.
"Then I'll go, too, said Mss. Turner
in her drawl of sisterly sympathy. 81
know you must be longing to be with
him, but I'll come first thing in the
morning. Isn't it dreadful" She paus-
ed as the door was opened for her and
glanced out into outer darkness with
| shudder. "Isn't it dreadful to have no
OAS w VAIN uOlu6 Wluu-uO man, i
mean?" she hastily added as Miss May
nard took down the majors cape, which
she had fallen quite into the way of
wearing.
A little later brother and sister were
alone together. He had been reading
over letter and slowed it in the pocket
OF his dressing gown as she entered
II missed the orderly with the mail
today, Ronald. Did you hear from IA
| ther?" she asked.
| He shook his head, but made no other
reply.
well, wasn't that letter." she
asked, with glance at the gaping
pocket.
eyes, but not from him, Grace. And
must tell you again am so troubled
about him. You ought to be there. not
here. There is no excuse whatever for
your remaining burden on Mrs. Stan
nard''-
"How can you say SO, Ronald? Who
could nurse you were / not here?'
~ could do very we'll, There is no
l ~rAI NN,. II. y