Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-04-10
. Il ahruntly and went ON,

q abruptly and went out |
of the room. &c feEs unable to finish |
calmly. Aunt Royal and Louise sat up
quite late talking over the whole mat
ter. 1t is not necessary to enter into it |
The whole situation was becoming UNI
bearable SO far as Stuart was concern
ed, so the two women agreed.
"What IL Stuart marries her and
brings her home here?" Aunt Royal
would say.
'Then shall leave the house, but
don't believe Rhena Dwight will ever
marry him." Louise would reply. And
there the matter rested for the time be-
ing, III the thought of the women.
The next morning Stuart did not APP
pear at breakfast. He left word that.
he had very important business at the.
office and could not wait for the late
meal to which Aunt Royal and Louise
were in the habit of sitting down.
He had reached point in his feel
Ings where he felt the necessity of tell
ing Ehena all. What Louise had said
about that chance meeting at the hall
disturbed him seriously. But the great
question with him now was to know
the truth from Rhena herself.
He spent the forenoon Mt the Office
There was plenty to do. The fever and
the want on the part Of the miners
families were grim factors now in all
Champion. The other ranges We're fast
feeling the effects of the double,
scourge of sickness and suffering.
Scores of the miners children were dy-
Ing daily. To meet the emergency
Stuart used his money lavishly. Ev-
erything in the way of medicines and
nurses supplies went out of the Office
in large quantities. He took melan-
clloly pleasure in spending his money
this way. He could Mt least relieve
some pain, lessen some anguish. 1t
was drop only in the great ocean Of
the misery, but he had some satisfac-
ton in contributing that much.
A little after noon word came to him
that the child in the cabin at the end
of Cornishtown was dying. Stuart
had no particular reason for going up
there more than to any other cabin
where other children were dying, but
somehow he felt drawn in that direc-
ton. and about 2 o'clock he drove up
the narrow wagon road and left his
horse and cutter ut the same place
where he had stopped the night he had
/ found Rhena.
He walked on up the path over the
trodden snow thinking Of that night
The air was crisp and the sky clear
The whole town behind him lay in Its
setting of snow dressed hills, beautiful
as picture painted by a master, Civ
ing no outward sign of the anguish ant
sorrow that beat within the homes Of
the miners below.
He knocked gently at the cabin door
and Rhena opened it. She colored faint
~ ut sight of him, but without n wore
beckoned him to enter.
The dsctor was kneeling by the bed
It was a child, q little girl, only II
years old, who was dying. Stuart wen
and stood at the end of the rude bed
Rhena seated herself close by the doc
tor. The father of the child was help
less from accident. He lay in the mex
room. The mother was kneeling by til
side Of the doctor.
SIS shells she going now doctor
Don't say SO. she be young to go!
cried the mother us she leaned over tn
bed and looked into. the wasted fac
there.
eyes, she's going. She will soon b
out of suffering" replied the doctor
very, very gently. No one was eve
more gentle than DIR. Saxon In tn
presence of the last enemy He neve
relaxed his efforts until the last secon
! OF life. He looked death in the fac
with q frown. That was a. part Of hi
rough, abrupt character. But he locke
the dying and the mourning in the fac
; with the look of a compassionate al
gel
. Very fast the Inst great change gre,
. now. The father cried out from tn
. other room that he wanted to see hi
little girl once more. Stuart offere
i, to bring him in. The doctor nodded
0 and Stuart went in where the man la
4 and with Rhena'S help succeeded