The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-17

looked as sound and healthy, and to b.
full as cheerful subject, as any surgeon
or student in the building
He shook hands with Dale Just befor,
the chloroform was administered, an:
Dale was moved to say: Good, olt
chap! Not a tremor, upon my world
We'll, I'm in good hands," said Inder
wick, land hoping for the best; anG
after all a man can only die once
whether It's by a Boer bullet or sur
geon's knife, Ell? If it is to be the be.
yond, well goodby, old fellow and
God bless you. Tell Margaret that he,
name was the last word on my lips!
| Then Oblivion, and the trepannine
| saw
| Sir James Macpherson did not belle
his great reputation. He had located
| the situation Of the tumor with mar
| Vicious precision, and he extracted IL
| with the dizziness of magician.
| Serious though the operation was Gil
bert somewhat to his surprise suffered
no inconvenience from it, nor was the
process OF recovery neither long MOI
tedious
He had but one thought in his mind
and that was to get back to South ART
ca before the fighting was over, and this
idea took such firm possession of him
that the sense Of time left him. and
1t seemed to him that the operation had
taken place no longer ago than the dav
before.
He had no difficulty in persuad ding Dale
to get him certified as fit for duty, or
in obtaining permission from the war
office to start at once for the Cape in
order to rejoin his regiment at the
front.
He found himself in good company on
ard he To toll
were still being sent out to Africa. and
among the officers on board were sew
eral old friends, all of them in high
spirits at the prospects of active ser
vice after a long spell of idleness at
home
AS it turned out It was very active ser
vice indeed, and Gilbert had manv Cd
poftunities of distinguishing himself.
with the capitulation of Pretoria, how
ever, the campaign came to an end. and
his regiment was one of the first to
come home again.
1t was with high heart, Gilbert told
himself, that he was setting out on the
voyage home, for he was down for the
Victoria Cross, as we'll as for promo
ton, and Margaret had written out to
say that she was so proud Of him that
she was willing to let their marriage
| take place Immediately after his re-
turn.
But was he, after all, as happy as he
should be?
1t was with many searchings of the
heart that Gilbert asked himself that
| question on the way home.
Within few DAYS Of his arrival the
| dream of all his later life would become
| reality; yet as he told himself that this
| was so he was conscious that there was
no enthusiasm, no responsive throb in
| his heart. and before the voyage was
| over he realized with a sense of dumb
| misery that the thought of Margaret no
| longer had the power to stir him as Of
old could no longer rouse within him
| the fire which always hitherto the very
| breathing Of her name had kindIed.
What was 1t, what was the matter
with him? he asked himself a, hundred
| times a day
| He had seen no other woman since no
and his promised wife had parted less
| than three months before. had dreant of
no other woman in that tender relation
| toward him save Margaret; yet over her
| fair race, heart and intellect were at
war within him.
Intellect still loved her, called her bv
| every endearing name, dwelt on the soft
| music Of her voice, recalled each ton,
and look, and saw again the loveligflt in
| her sweet gray eyes
Heart was cold and slxeptical and un-
moved by any OF these Imaginative
| raptures
| what on earth is the matter with
| me?" he asked himself II seem to be
able to watch this struggle between two
Of my inner selves just as one docs in
dreams sometimes, when the Ego seams
to detach itself and become inperscnal
1 wonder what old MACPHERSON put IN