Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-03-31

The birds had begun to twitter their
mathis when the doctor drove up. He
had been attending a dying patient.
He protested against Nancy's vigil, and
pronounced the patient in no immedi-
ate danger.
"You will please go to bed. Miss Ger
ard, or at any rate lie down. insist.
Demetrius will take your place; and
shall relieve Mr.. Livingston. Perhaps
youwill be kind enough to ask the Greek
to come to me at once. I expect the
nurse in half an hour
/ glanced at my watch as Nancy
obeyed. 1t was six o'clock, and the
household was already astir. De-
metrius. I knew, was no sluggard, no
lie-abed. He would answer the sum-
mons promptly; and upon my imme-
date action might hang the life of Bur
lington.
Distracted by doubt, walked to the
window and flung up the lower sash.
The fresh air flooded the room; with it
came the sounds and odors of spring.
The full-throated meadow-larks (Cal-
ifornia has few singing birds) had be-
gan their roufades, to which the staccato
notes of the gulls and the myriad-voiced
chorus of frogs from the marshes east
of the sand-dunes furnished a curious
and effective accompaniment. The
scent of the violet, heliotrope and
jasmines hung lightly on the breeze.
The lawn sparkled with dew. The
lanceolate leaves of the eucalypti quiv-
cred against an opalescent sky. Lean
ing out of the window, my tired eyes
rested upon the Pacific, which wooed
me to it's embrace with a tender muir
muir of welcome. For the multitude of
sea-birds could prophesy that the
mackerel and sardines were in the bay
The coTmorants were hard at work,
plunging with mighty splashes into the
water. | caught now and again the
CLEAN of mackerei in their monstrous
beaks. and noted idly the parasites
swapping up the morsels of fish care
lessly dropped by their patrons. What
paradise! To me a garden of Eden,
with its tree of knowledge of good and
evil, its serpent, it's Eve, and, alasi the
angel with the flaming sword.
1t falls to the lot of all sons of Adam
to wander once down the enchanted
glades of Eden. How many recognize
the place too late, when the gate is
closed against them forever!
My thoughts were put to flight by the
sound Of Nancy's voice. She beckoned
eagerly from the passage.
''An extraordinary thing has hap
pened," she gasped. 'Demetrius has
gone. He never went to bed at ali. And
and he has taken Mark with hi1n!''
'Gone!" 1 CALCULATED. So the fellow
had turned tail. His nerves at the crit
zeal moment had failed.
HE has left letter for mamma. She
is reading it now. Unjust go to her,
Fiinging these disjointed phrases at
my head she left me, and 1 returned
thoughtfully to the bedside of Bur
lington. AS yet he had shown no dis
position to talk. The doctors second
examination had provoked groans and
affirmative mods in response to impor-
tant questions. The man was terribly
bruised; but his bones, mirabile dictu,
were still intact. Quiet, of course, was
Imperative; and any excitement might
prove fatal. He'd the doctor to the win
dow and told him briefly that
Demetrius had left the house. "Any-
thing you need, doctor. can get. Pray
command me-" The doctor, however,
refused my services, and went himself
to prepare liniment. I accompanied
him to the door, and when turned con-
fronted the melancholy eyes of Bur-
lington. The fire was out of them; in
its place was question.
"Am in the house Of Mark Gerard 2"
he asked, harshly.
"You are in the house of Mrs. Ger
ard" I replied. It was futile to evade
take it.
He took it, as might be expected.
hardly-in silence. The hot blood
famed across his forehead, and ebbed
instantly, leaving the pale complexion
livid-a danger signal which quickened
my own pulses. The situation was in
tensely dramatic. His next question
surprised me:
as the Greek here?''
'sHe was here"
'Curse him! Don't let him come into
this room.''
BE closed his eyes and said no more.
After all, he had said enough. The
mere words, coupled with the tones of
his deep voice, Mortified me. Manifest
ly, his appetite for blood was not yet
glutted. And this man was the father
of Nancyi
An hour later the letter of Demetrius
was placed in my hands. had finished
hasty breakfast. and was sitting,
smoking, upon the veranda- The doc
tor and the nurse were with Burlington.
The letter ran thus:
Dear Madame: Acting in accordance
with the Instructions received from my
master. have been compelled to leave your
house and take your son with me. We can
camp at the hut on the island" (Adark had
described this hut to me with enthusiasm;
1t had been built by his father and was we'll
provisioned for the purposes of duck shoot
ing). and Mark, as you know. Will be