The Ravalli Republican., 1898-07-20
HOW DEATH COMES.

They wrapped Isdale in his blan-
kets when they had outspHnneu and
placed him under the wagon to shell
ter him from the night ueWs. lie
mOanel I; little but seemed uncoll-
sciol~ as to who was about him and
where he was, They made their fire
near him, and sat so close to him as
possible, and hoped the boy would
Slip off that way quietly during tho
night without pain. Nothing more
could they do to save him. Their
experience of the fever made them
feel assured his death would be easy,
but the great horror was that he
should perish III the vcldt wilder
ness, and he but six months out
from homo.
The great full moon, which seems
to gaze more nearly and more sadly
on Africa than Oh other lands, was
directly over the camp. IN its light
the thin pushed vcldt alimne1ed as
an ocean Of silvery pillows, close
bounded by solemn shadows. From
these shadows what would come to
the men tonight, stalking unseen
through the midst Of them, bearing
tho sword of death:
Copeland laid his pipe down and
knelt beside Is(Iale, feeling his pulse
"Iiow is it," paget asked when
Jack came back.
every feeble. He don know NE
at all Smiles and whispers some:
thing about going fishing with Judy
in the river. Wants to know why
it's SO cold on the banks"
"Judy's his sister," Pagot said.
HE showed me her photo. / fancy
they wore lonely pair play
mates.
''Fisl1in in the river, eh?" old
Hanncn srumblcl in his gray beard.
"Then it $ all up with the kid It's
always the river when they re goin
off. Il was so with me too
Somebody laughed srimly.
w itI Nltt SOu tlt, I1tIliCu.
Il didn might say | wouldn t.
It WAS On the northwest plains Of
the States and | WAS huntln with a
party of eastern totfs. Got typho
malariai, Same as Islale got his
don't know how. Nobody else got
it. They dropped ne at q half aban-
doned army post, for there was nc
town near, and put me III the sol
diCrs' hospital. I was in an awful
bad way - a most lntcrestin case
the ljlOOmin doctor told me after,
and off my head most Of the time
and thin! I was afraid Of the look
in glass for a month after it was
over. They had swing doors at tht
end Of the ward, and the bed at the
doors was called the deathbe,l, be
cause it was handy, you know, t
get Il cold man out without disturb
ing the other putients. So one even
in when was lyin in a cot near Z;
big hoH stove the doctor camo round
and Put him in the deathbed, say:
he to the hospital steward He'll q
some time tonight. They though
! couldn't hear, | suppose, but di'
and was too badly sick to care rap
They changed me and put q screcl
round me and left me to die when
ever got ready.
Il suppose | went right off N,
head again. had the queeres
dreams, off through the pretties
green fields you ever saw, with III
hedges and daisies and children play
in in them, only | was Cryin al
the time because | was SO cold
Somehow | got to q river, not hi
one, it seemed, yet it was sort (
dark on the other. side, and tho ";
ter was tumblin down, brown an
noisily, like a trout stream in til
Scotch hills. | lay down about te
yards from the bank, and it was aN
ful cold. Years and years before
boy I'd been chums with at schot
had died and I'd near broke N
heart about it. Now, from the otl
er side Of that river that boy san
out to me, only his voice WASH
very near like: Why don't 70
co10p, Jimy You can wade across
And so1ncthin seemed at the sam
time to be draWin nc to the water
Ntl, | wouldn't | was born ri
headed, | suppose It was too ball