La Junta tribune., 1899-05-20

There was q slight touch upon my
arm. my wounded arm. as II CHANGED.
that lay beneath the blanket, touch
that sent q pang like the piercing OF
. hot iron through 1t, and a sweet
voice said:
Can do anything for you. my poor
man! The surgeon will be here i'm
mediately. and / thought 1t best to
waken you" 1t added. as l opened my
eyes upon that neat. quiet little figure
which i had long before seen.
Tho recognition was mutual.
Captain Hale!"
MRS. Dumarcie!"
II did not expect to see you here!"
mutual exclamation. and there was
time for no more. for the surgeon. fol-
lowed by his assistant with hideous
paraphernalia. had come.
Then followed an awful hour. think
/ received full idea of the mean
ing Of the word torture during its
passage. At last they left me. the ball
extracted and the arm bandased. but
utterly exhausted by pain, long fasting
and want OF sleep.
did not wake until the following
morning and then to an intolerable
pain and smarting In my arm. The
bandage seemed like ligature. and
there was burning. as of hot iron.
from finger ends to shoulder. I was
writhing with the torture. and feeling
strangely weak and powerless when
she came to me. Her voice reused me
from my trance of agony.
Can l do anything for you. Captain
Hale?" she said. in those quiet, even
tones that were a sedative in them
selves.
Yes, thank you. Send some one to
loose my bandage-my arm is intoler-
able."
II will do It myself 1 know how
perfectly" and before could utter an
expostulation she had my arm tenderly
In her little hands. and was deftly re-
moving the bandage and loosing the
folds. She hurt me very badly. but
there was something soothing in her
touch that made me bear 1t without
much shrinking.
N"Your arm is badly swollen, but l
think that will be BETTER" she said, at
length. as she gently disposed the
wounded limb above the blanket. II
will go to the ONCE and procure q To-
tion for you"
sAnd with the word she was gone. I
had been greatly relieved. and could
think Of something besides my suffer-
ings. And my thoughts went back a.
followed the quaint little Agure with
my eyes to the time had seen 1t last,
and in such different surroundings.
1t was i've years before at q grand
ball. at the house Of one Of the diplo-
matte corps, In Washington, that saw
Helen Dumarcie, a bride. AS a child
had known her well. and had met her
once or twice as she grew to woman
hood. when she paid rare but welcome
visits to my sisters. We renewed our
acquaintance then. and she introduced
me to her husband, a splendid-looking
young of1cer-a South Carolinian of
French-Huguenot descent l was
pleased with his grand, courtly man
ner. and Helen seemed equally proud
OF him. Her fathers reverses had made
Her governess in the South, and there
she met Paul Dumarcie. l heard that
the Dumarcies felt the marriage mis-
alliance. but think Paul Dumarcie
did not feel that he had condescended
in marrying the pretty little creature
who hung upon his arm.
Sehe was splendid that night-in
some rich dress from her trousseau-
am not man milliner to describe It
with the soft sleam of pearls in her
golden hair and . necklace. with q
syeat emerald blazing amid the lucent
pearls that surrounded it. upon her
bosom. She was too little to bear
much bravery of dress. and with all
her splendor thought had seen her
l6ok better In the pretty muslins that
suited our village gatherings afar in
the old New England home.
had scarcely heard from her since.
LII 4