Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-04-20
nY W1nn1AM T. NICHOLS.
Copyright. 1895. by J. B llppneoa Company.

servances in Tophet, and trying to resign
myself to n dull afternoon. The bay
appeared 10 be unusually slothful, but
let him choose his own pace, and away
we dawdled toward our destination.
The sufferer proved to be convalescing
satisfactorily, but the Doctors visit
was an event Of Importance, and half
an hour passed before could get away
from the sick room. Then came slow
progress back to the Weston residence.
AS I drove up to it, Miss Gray emerged
from my office, caught sight of me, and
called TO some one within. moment
later DR.. Banks followed her, and hur-
ried out to the road.
For Gods sake, Morris, come in as
quick as yeu cam" he cried. There's
been terrible piece of business"
Measured as toDorothy Gray ssafety
by the sight of her, and therefore ready
to deal courageously with the 1nisfor-
tune of anybody else, sprang to the
ground and followed Banks into the Of
flee. There on lounge lay Jones,
his face ashen pale, his eyes closed, and
great beads Of sweat on his forehead;
his breathing was heavy and sterto-
rous, and broken by low means. His
right boot and the leg of his trousers
had been cut away, revealing the limb
crushed from the knee down into
terrible wreck of bone and muscle,
with n jagged fragment of the tihia pro-
truding from the skin.
| Banks eyes caught mine for an in
slant; both of us read the meaning of
the look we exchanged.
mo alternative" said he.
"The sooner the BETTER" added.
| The senior glanced at his disabled
| arm.
"This puts me out of it," said he,
| except as may manage to administer
the anaesthetic. Have you ever con-
Quoted such an operation?"
| "Never. l saw plenty of the sort in
my student days, but since then-well,
| I've never pretended to be surgeon,
you understand"
| "Nor, to tell the truth, have I. In
fact, I've always hated to see the knife
used. But there's no question here"
LET us send to BASKERVILLE for Fow-
Ter. I've heard he's clever operator"
HE is: the idea had already sug-
gested itself to me. But it will mean
four or five hours-perhaps more. And
whom shall we send? I'm too crippled
to be of any use, and you ought to stay
here
My horse is ready" said 1. "Now
| for Il messenger"
why not let me go?" suggested Doro.
thy Gray. She had been standing behind
US so quietly that we had forgotten her
presence. Il know the road" she went
on, ''and think ] can manage the horse
| without trouble"
"1he very person" cried Banks, be-
fore l could utter an objection. Miss
Gray understands the circumstances
better than any of us. If we send
boy he'll muddle the story so that
Fowler won't be able to make head or
tail of it,
But" began.
Now, DR.. Morris, please don't OBJ
| ject," she broke in. There is not the
ghost of a reason why should not go.
l realize what DR.. Fowler is to do, the
operation lie will have to perform. I'm
not n bit afraid of the horse. Besides,
as DR.. Banks says, there must be no
delay; every moment is precious.
/, Please let me start at once"
81 don't like the idea," protested,
but rather fccbly in the face of her en-
treaty. 1t had come, by this time, to
be hard to deny her anything.
''After his timely assistance to me-"
she went on, sit is only fair that
should be allowed to reciprocate, to do
some little thing to prove my graft
| tude."
Very well, go, then" said I, shortly;
but in the heart of me there was n
vague feeling of relief that she should
so soon repay her obligations to the
man from whom | certainly had no
| good to expect: it was better for them
TO be quits as speedily as possible.
'Shc will round out a useful day by
bringing Fowler here" said DR.. Banks.
as we stood watching her hurry off her
hat and gloves. Did you know that it
was she who found him?"
'No," answered. "llow did it hap
pen?"
Her aunt, il seems, must have been
Il good deal worried about the mans
/! failure to return with his team, and
to ease her mind Miss Gray promised to
keep u lookout for him. At last Mrs.
Loring had TO start for the village, but
meantime Miss Gray had caught some
of her aunt's fears, and, rs soon as she
was free, off she started on Il hunt of
her own. She followed the wagon
tracks almost TO the house of that lone
some patient of yours, Morris. Then
the trail turned to the southwark, al
most skrting the edge of the bog. 1t
was queer route to pick out for haul
ing heavy load, and soon she had cause
to believe that Jones had found the
road rough, for in one place she saw u
heap of gravel which undoubtedly had
been dumped out of the wagol in some
way. The ground Whereabouts is very
Iowa sort of hollow, in fact-and in
The depression she found herself out of
sight of this house. In the other di-
rection she could get glimpse of your
patients dwelling, but nobody seemed
to be stirring about the place. Not
many yards beyond the gravel she dis
covered Jones, lying unconscious on
the ground, with the ruts showing
where the wheels of the wagon had
passed over his leg. He came to bit,
after she reached him. and she was able
to make out that he had slipped under
the wheels. and had been so badly hurt
that he was unable to move, and was
l forced to lie there and watch his horses