The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1900-09-21
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Quite right, sir" The house sur
geon's voice was brisk and confident.
The student wondered idly what had
made the usually calm Mr.. Menz.es
break or in that sudden, Irrelevant 4
manner, then his wonderings were for
gotten in the absorbing interest Of the |
operation
The surgeon had turned quietly back [
to his work, and. with steady fingers /
that never faltered or wavered. was
going on with his task. But his soul /
was in a tumult; his brain was on fire
The helpless man lying before him-the
man whose life lay in his hands-was
the friend who one short year before
had stolen from him his wife and his
happiness. the friend who had been
worse than an open enemy. Some long
forgotten words swung through his
brain as his fingers moved mechanical
~ in their work.
IF it had been an open enemy that
had done me this dishonor, could have
borne it, But it was even thou, mine
own familiar friend"
Mine own familiar friendw a queer
look flashed into the gray eyes: he
raised them suddenly and glanced
again at the patients white face. 1t
was so very white that, except for the
/ faint breathing that was just audible,
you might have supposed that the one
lying upon the table was dead. Dead:
the word sprung into Mr.. Menzies
mind, following quickly upon those
words Mine own familiar friend
Dead-weli. if the patient were dead,
there would be one villain less in tie
world; the wrong would have been re-
venged-if-if the patient who lay 50
stln and white were still forever in
death.
The surgeons eyes went back to their
work; his steady fingers never relaxed
their task; there was no outward sign
of the tumult within his soul, save u
certain tightening of his lips.
Dead" The word surged 10 and fro
in his brain. until he could see ii actual
Nv dancing before his eyes. The mar
whom he had cursed so bitterly-th;
man who had vanished from his life 8
year ago-was helpess in his hands
! absolutely at his mercy, and, if thu
knife slipped. ever so little, by the frac
p ton of a hairs breadth, the fain
breathing would cease-and-the If
that had ruined his llfe's happines
: would 90 down into silence.
| was 50 easy. too-so absurdly easy
The operation was one of extrem
delicacy. II it failed, no one woul
n ever blame the surgeon. Few men be
sides himself would even have under
n taken it. still fewer would have bee
able to carry it to a successful Terminus
f. ton.
10 To fail meant such a tiny. tiny shift
# ing of the instrument he handled wit
such skill and care. The most critic;
10 moment of the whole operation was al
, proachlug. There was a breathless 5
" lence in the theater. and across it til
r. wbisper of one student TO another wa
r distinctly audible.
BY Jove. he mas got a tough jo
IS there"
" Then the stiffness became almost tai
pr eible again as the steady fingers wei
on with their work.
X As though it had been yesterday, i
ne stead of a year ago. there rose befo
is Mr. Menzies' eyes sudden vision
is tbe last day on which he and the p
ge tient had met. He saw his wife's dra'
nd inr-room. flooded with the sunshiu
no and his wife smiling up into his faC
: vim laughing eyes. The fragrance
n rosas pervaded everything; she III
.lv always loved roses; and vivid rec
at lpetion came to him Of great roses up
at the tables. A mass of gorgeous T
M o,es had caught the flashing sunlig
-al and shone blood-red in its CLEANS. )
10. mad had big pink one at her belt; a
m Size had held out to him a dam
W. orance-colored bud For your butte
ais bole dear" she had said softly.
he Beside her stood the man who nj
- Inv unconscious under his hands a
nj their TWO laughing faces rose up a
IN Knocked him with their falsenesS.
IN such little slip Of the hand. so cas-
les compassed. and tie life of tne man
m. fore him would slip forever into sen
vn and revenge was sweet.
nv His lips frightened. his eyes gr
5 a hard.
wrong? absurd" There was
the wrong in avenging your honor. He
the an had thrown this man in his way.
to vengeance was meant TO be II
,ha childish. ridiculous, to draw back III
the when the game was in his hands.
His lips had frightened till they lool
M. IKE a thin mand of steel. his eyes W
NV for the moment devilish.
an For what seemed TO him like {
Gus fury. but what was in reality a quar-
~ a second, his hand stayed it We
an. and the patients life hung in the
,ch once Then all at once the tense