The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-05-02
a PRETTY - -
y - COMPA.NION
BY Louise. bedford

rs
Ing safely home. They stopped and
| turned Its head in the direction from
which 1t came.
Wen need it very likely" said one;
there's an accident"
With violence" replied the other.
hurrying on his way; cor else what's
the meaning of the shots?"
The sound Of groan close at hand
arrested. his steps, and the next mo-
ment both the men were kneeline by
Neville's side.
Bad ousiness!" muttered one. This
Is murder. or very like it."
Neville Enclosed his eyes for min
ute. Doctor; burglar; follow on:
nell want YOU" he gasped family.
moving his head slightly in the direc-
ZION which the burglar had taken. But
both men felt that their present task
was to try and save the life of the Door
feilow who was evidently SO desper-
ately wounded.
wed best carry him in there"
SAID one of the men. glancing at the
mouse. That's where the burglars
Deen, and the family is aroused safe
enough. see lights moving to and
| fro"
Without more ado they lifted Ne
vile as gently as they could in their
strong arms. and made their way to
the door, ringing loudly at the bell
1t was Mrs. Mortimer who admitted
them, and who. with quick presence
OF mind ordered them to carry Ne
Vile into the study, where she ranid1v
turned the couch into an extemporized
| bed.
Bandages. please! he's bleeding to
death The brute's stabbed him."
said one of the policemen. And as
Mrs. Mortimer FASTENED off to obey
the order. Janetta passed her on the
way to the study. The girls face was
as white as the wall.
Don't go in there. They've brought
In a man wounded by burglar. who
has made his escape as far as I can
make out. Don't go in! you've gone
through too much already" But ia
Meta, drawn by some unaccountably
strong instinct pushed open the door
and entered.
! An agony SO intense as partially to
paralyze all feeling possessed her as
she recognized that the dying man
before her was her own brother. She
knelt down quietly beside him, put
ting her arm under his head.
Neville" she said, with unutterable
tenderness, do you know me? It's I.
| Janetta!"
The eyelids Enclosed for moment
and the glazing eyes rested upon her
with smile of recognition. cts all
up, Jennie! A bad lott" he said faint
ly. And the policeman standing by
thought that he spoke of the man who
had murdered him; but Janetta knew
that it was the lads final confession
of failure.
She bent and kissed him. A quarter
OF an hour later the Doctor, haggard
and disheveled, entered the room, to
see Janetta's beautiful head bent over
her brother, and her arms clasped
tightly about him; and the first glance
showed him that the lad was dead.
A knot climbed into the Doctors
throat. Come away. Miss Howard; 1
must see your brother alone" he said.
Janetta looked up with quick shake
of the head. Must he be the one to
break it to her that her brother had
passed beyond all human help? The
door was pushed gently open, and
Clarice came softly into the room. One
look from Doctor Drake told her what
had occurred. Her own weakness and
helplessness seemed forgotten in her
sympathy for her friends overwhelm-
ing trouble. She knelt beside her,
stroking her hair caressingly.
"Janetta, We can do nothing more
for him." she said, feeling that to tell
the exact truth was the wisest course
to adopt. God has called your broth
er. oh, my dear, the shock is enough
to kill you; but you'll let me, your sis
ter, help you to bear it,"
Janetta lifted her scared, white face
and gazed into that of her friend,
transformed, Illuminated, by, the pow
er of a great emotion. She was utterly
exhausted by the awful rapidity of
the events of the last few hours, her
brain seemed too dull even to UNDER
stand Clarice's words; but there were
her open arms ready to receive her,
and Janetta threw herself into them
and suffered herself to be led away.