The Ravalli Republican., 1898-07-20

drag me to the water tie more pig
headed l got, gritted NY teeth and
held Oh to the bank. Next thing !
knew it was molnin and the doctor
was hustlin me back to the box
stove, sayin that ia q lwonderful
constitution That S all. But tell
you the people who made up these
songs about The Other Side "f jon
;7an' and when We Meet Beside the
River and all that knew what they
were talkin about. .
He looked thoughtfully at the
moon.
"If ] hadn't been born pig head
ed, he added dreamily, 81 might
have been havin good times now
with my old chum instead Of wear
in my heart out for years in this
unholy country.'
"Woll,' said Pagct, "if the end Of
a fever is as easy as that, " and he
glanced at Isdale, "with sreonfiolds
and trout streams, shouldn't mind
ways thought I'd prefer a bullet. .
"But it isn't always that, said
Copeland. II think sometimes death
never comes twice in the same form.
But, don't you know, IN sure that
under certain conditions people
wlom-a--don't you know, he
death, you know-wasn't after at
all, might know, you know, he was
near at hand. III tell you what ]
meant | can, you know. ] was
really beastly sick when l was in
the sixth form with smallpox, and
| lots of other follows were down too.
/ There were threo or four OF us III
the sick bay, and we pulled out all
right in the end, except one. We
/ who were convalescent were put in
| a room by ourselves and had q
whucking time getting well, feeding
like pigs and treated like angels.
| But Wyking, who was horribly i'll,
they left with trained nurses and
all that kind Of thing, you know, III
the sick bay.
Il was pretty weak, and one
night | woke up about 12 O'Clock
with the most shastly feeling. |
could barely breathe, and couldn' t
cry out for the nurse. ! knew some
how ut once that death was in the
/ house was covered with a cold
sweat, and my breath seemed to
come with terrible effort. thought
it was me who was wanted, and |
never thoue ut Of praying, you know,
or anything like that. | did like
Hannen bit the pillow and held
on desperately. l fancy it lasted
about ten minutes, and then there
was suddenly the sweetest relief
The sweat passed. / breathed gen
tly and went to sleep again, h'lt l
knew death liad passed and taken
somebody.
"In the early morning was awake
when the nurse came with her
medicines, and I asked her at once,
'What time did Charley dic?' Char
ley, you know, was the boy left III
the sick bay. She stared and gasp
ed and asked NE who had been in
the room talking to me- I told her
nobody She looked frightened
and told me | was foolish to think
Of such nonsense, and all that sort
of thing, you know. But she ral
out and brought in the doctor, who
chatfed me, you know, but felt my
pulse and his eyes looked strange
They stuck it out between them thai
Charley was all right, but | knew
from their eyes they were afraid tc
tell the truth, because Of the shocl
, it might give us III our weak state
: They owned up after we were strong
that Charley did die at - o'clocl
> that night. But why, wonder, yol
know, did death pass SO close to M
on his way? The other fellows rest
ed quietly that night, and Charley
was too far off in that big school TO:
j. me to hear any noise in his room. y
Paget rose up and whispered t,
Isdale to ask if he wished for any
. thing, hut the sick lad was uncon
scious
: He'll remain like that, do yo
think?" he asked softly as he cam
y back to the fire No one answered
Tile moon was sailing now towar
: the shadoWy peaks Of the gloomy
distant mountains. From tho dark
> ness Of the far veldt came suddenl,
. the long alarmed cry of a dee
pouncol On by a lion. Isdale nut
- tered and moved, and Cope]an
= threw wood on the fire and stirred
into a fierce blaze. A low voic
spoke from the side of the flame
y farthest from the wagon.
You were right, Nh. Copeland,
= said Maynard, the old elephar
i hunter, fright according to my ide
y about death coming never twice i
"a just the same shape. 1t seems t
me he studies the man he's sent af
:, er, and has his orders to disguis
" himself according - merciful c
:, vengeful. But there may be MOI
than that. | saw something ono
= which made me think that tho Lor
sometimes allows a Wron9ed dea