The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-05-15

stool, cheering Parker. who lay sus-
p~iciously quiet. Parker had come
from Queensland, via New Jersey.
among other cities. and the register
ed voters Of Colesburg had shot him
across the spine below the shoulders.
My stOmach's a trifie out of order"
said Parker cheerily. They cant
get it to work. Except for thai |
don't feel there's anything wrong
with me-
erich looked at me to signify it
be better for Parker if he had a
little more feeling. Were comm on
beautifully. amt we?" said erich. and
Parker nodded. I'm the last o four
all spinal cases-all in thist ent too,'
said Parker I've seen 'em all 90. and
here am | hangin on by NY finger
nails. They all went. didn't they?"
Eyes" said erich. his braces round his
hips, AN they all called for me fore
they went. Member. Tommy""
Parker smiled. Sir Philip sydney
smiled very much in that fashion.
ooh. YES. | was on special allowance
of brandy. but Tommy. he always
looked for a little Of mine IN his LEM
onade. Couldn't speak nnuch. but he
used to roll his eyes to my bed. Tom
my liked his tot o brand, and lem
onad". When did he 90. CticIl,'
y AsdaN afternoon. iol was asleep.
Parker. He said. erich. old man.
where are YOU" he said. Right here.
IN front o YOU. | says. and / went up
to i'm. cause | knew what was COM
ing. ! cant see YOU. Crich.' he SAYS.
Then | laid old Of his arms in my
two ands. That's better he SAYS
II | can't see YOU can feel YOU. he
says. Don't let 90 Crich.' he saws.
and in a minute or two he was Off.
as quiet as anything. oNu was asleep
Parker. Oh! yes, they all asked for
old erich to tale old Of when they
Went OH. Parker'S coin to best the lot
OF EN-. This to me. Las o four
spinal cases, he is. and he's goin'
to Netley. an he'll be al! right in a
few weeks. Ave some more tonatas.
parker?"
The giant turned his head and rails
ed an arm. He could not quite reach
the tent. lavishly douched the cut
fruit With oil and vinegar and eNhib-
tied Parker in the act Of eating.
Then Parker talked Of real estate
speculations in Orange, \. J.. and
stock raising in Queensland, erich sup
plying an ever-appreciative chorus.
| watched the Superbly built body so
all alive to the chest line. so all dead
below. and it seemed to me unfair
that nervous anxiety to make Cape
Colony 4 haven OF peace" had led q
~"neutral government to postpone
the ordinary preparations for war till
the Colesberg rebels call registered
voters. remember) could conveniently
mangle Parker's spinal cord. laid
it upon erich. the hairy-chested and
adequate. that Parker must not
die. and erich. hopefully hopeless.
said. out Of IarkerS hearing, that he
would do his d~amnedest.
That was some weeks ago. | have
seer Parker twice or thrice. but to
day his bed is empty. He has bested
the registered voter of Colesberg. all
the young doctors who phophesied
death, and erich. which could nor see
H. other way ont Of it..
lie has gone home in a Gamer to
Nettev. with the chance OF living.
half dead for q year or two ANA the
ghost Of & chance that he maT par
TALLY recover. This is Il load off my
mind. For some absurd reason Par
ker was my q fetch. He held on
through the black days ere CrOnle'S
surrender. and now. at Madeira. he
Will learn that Hloemfontein is his
and ours.
The war goes better. With Parker
and Bobbsfontein disposed Of we can
attend to the hospitals. DinniSs. the
liglt mustached sergeant major OF Il
horse battery. has gone away. but
not before he saved the lives Of three
or four depressed and morbid by his
cheerfulness and his yarns.
Dinniss has 6 and 20 years service.
He refused his ma jority II years ago
because it was in his beloved battery.
and he is an encyclopedia of military
knowledge-the unofficial brand. |
heard him tell his tent c~ontidentially
that if he had known what sort of a
silly sort Of war this war was going
to turn out he would have retired on
his laurels early in October.
He caught something at MagerSfon-
tein which has kept him in bed for
a few weeks. but now he is at the
front again. He was more or less in
charge of the horse battery which. out
of pure DOiitenesS. stood still to take
the E0er fire when our naval gun on
the left Of the line did not see the
flag Of truce. went on firing and
brought down q fresh BOer fusillade.
Said Dinniss: "Of course we sat
tight. to show it was a mistake. but
the shells We're making our horses
skittish. so | said: Sen a driver to
their heads. They're a little shy.
looked round, and there wernt any
drivers. D'you know what they were
doing? Chasing rats round a bush.
liss. Rat hunting under fire. On my
worrud. | don't believe drivers have
souls. No. not one!'
Were they c~ockneys, by any
chance, Dinniss??' | asked.
"Ie may say 50. We come from 81,
Johns Wood. London. n.
The tent and the orderlies grleved
when Dinniss left. for he had great
authority and most persuasive tact,
Now, Derby. of the lnniskilllngs. had
no authority. He lived on his tongue
and his skill in outflanking orderleS.
Derby got it badly in the leg ana
dropped like a cockrobin in scarlet
flannel between the tents. He was