The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1898-06-12


the water, the more pighcaded / got.
| gritted my teeth an held on to the
bank. Next thing I knew it was
mornin' an the doctor was hustlin'
me back to the stove sayin' that I'd n
wonderful constitution. That's all.
But [ tell You the people who made up
these songs about The Other Side of
Jordan ana 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 pigheaded,
he added dreamily, 81 might have
been havin' good times now with my
old chum instead of wearin' my heart
out for years in this unholy country"
well, . said Paget, ''if the end of
fever Is as easy as that" and he
glanced at Isdalc, with green fields
and trout streams, I shouldn't mind
that way so much, though I've always
thought I'd prefer 4 bullet"
But it isn't always that, said Cope
land. 81 think, sometimes, death
never comes twice in the same form.
But, don't you know, I'm sure that.
under certain conditions, people whom
-a--don't You know, he-death, YOU
know-wasn't after mt all, might know.
you know, lie was near at hand. I'll
toll You what ] mean-if | can. YOU
know. was really beastly sick when
was in the sixth form, with small
poZ, and lots of other fellows were
down, too. There were three or four
Of us i'll the sick bay and we pulled
out all right in the end, except one.
We who were convaicscant were eut
in room by ourselves and had n
UAacking time getting well. feeding
, like pigs and treated like angels. But
NykinG, who WAS horribly ill, they
Left with trained nurses and all that
kind OF thing, You know, III the sick
bay.
Il was pretty weak and one night 1
woke up about - o'clock with the
most CHASTITY feeling. / could barely
breathe and I couldn't cry ont for The
nurse. [ knew somehow al once that
death was in the house. / was GOV
cred with cold sweat and nv breath
/ seemed to como with terrible effort. /
/ thought it was me who was wanted
and | never thought of praying, you
know, or anything like that. | did
like Hammer. | bit the pillow and
held on desperately. / fancy it lasted
about ten minutes, and then there was
suddenly the sweetest relief. The
sweat passed, l breathel gently and
went to sleep again, but knew death
had passed and taken somebody.
In tho carly morning [ was awake
| when tho nurse came with her medi-
zines, and | asked her at once. What
time did Charley die?' Charley. YOU
know, was the boy left in the sicl, bay.
She stared and gaspcd and asked me
| who had been in the room talking to
me. ] 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 ran
out and brought III the doctor. who
chaifed me. YOU know, but felt my
pulse and his eyes looked strange.
They stuck it out between them that
/ Charley was all right. but knew from
their eyes they were afraid TO tell tho
I truth because Of the shock it might
/ give us in our weak state. They owned
/ MP after we were strong that Charley
/ did die at II o'clock that night. But
why 1 wonder, you know. did Death
pass so close TO me on his way? The
other fellows rested quietly that NIGHT.
and Charley was too far of i'm that
big school for me 10 hear any uoieo in
. his room.
Pagct rose ND and whispered 20 Is.
/ dale to ask il he wished for ANYTHING.
but the sick Ia1 was unconscious.
"He1l remain like that. do Won
ihiuk?' he asked softly as me came
back to- the fire. SO one answered.
The moon was sailing now toward tho
shadowy peaks OF the gloomy distant
mountains. From the darkness of tho