Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-07-14

yell be needed over yonder, I'm
thinkin'.''
"Why? Is the baby worse? Have
you been in?'
"Na. ma" replied Geordie cautiously;
"Pll mo- gang where I'm mo- wanted,
but yon puir thing We can hear ootside
weepin' an moanin'.
''She'll maybe need We tae," he went
on obviously to me. "Ye're kim O.
doctor. l hear" not committing him
self to any opinion as to my profession
al value.
But Slavin would have none of me,
having got the doctor sober enough to-
prescribe.
The interest of the camp in Slavin
was greatly increased by the illness of
his baby, which was to him as the ap-
pie of his eye. There were few who
impressed by Geordie's profound con-
victions upon the matter, were inclined
to favor the retrbution theory and con-
meet the baby's illness with the venge-
ance of the Almighty. Among these
few was Slavin himself. and, goaded
by his remorseful terrors. he sought re-
lonly deeper and fiercer gloom, so that
between her suffering child and her
savagely despairing husband the poor
i mother was desperate with terror and
grief.
"Ah. madame" she sobbed to Mrs.
| lMavor, my heart is broke for him.
He's beet noting for tree days, but jis
ldreenk, dreenk, dreenk."
The next day a man came for me in
haste. The baby was dying, and the
doctor was drunk. | found the little
one in CONFUSION lying across Mrs.
MAYORS knees. the mother kneeling be-
side it, wringing her hands in dumb
(agony. and Slavin standing near, silent
and suffering. | glanced at the bottle
of medicine upon the table and asked
Mrs Mavor the dose and found the
baby had been poisoned My look of
horror told Slavin something was
wrong. and. striding to me, he caught
my arm and asked:
"What is it? Is the medicine
wrong?
/ tried to put him off, but his grip
frightened till his fingers seemed to
reach the bone.
"The dose is certainly too large. But
let me go. l must do something"
He let me go at once, saying in a
voice that made my heart sore for him,
"He has killed my baby; he has killed
my baby" And then he cursed the
doctor with awful curses and with a
look Of such murderous fury on his
face that was glad the doctor was too
drunk to appear.
His wife, hearing his curses and un-
Outstanding the cause, broke out into
wailing hard to bear.
"Ah, mon petit ange! It is dat whees-
ky dat's keel mon baby. All, mon
cheri, mon amour! All, mon Dieu. All
Michael! How often l say that whees
ky he's not good ting"
1t was more than Slavin could bear
and with awful curses he passed out
Mrs. Mavor laid the baby in it's crib
for the CONFUSION had passed away
and, putting her arms about the wall
ing little Frenchwoman, comforted an(
soothed her as mother might hel
child
"And you must help your husband,
{ I heard her say. "He will need yol
more than ever. Think of him."
"Ah, oui, l weel," was the quick re
ply, and from that moment there wa
no more wailing.
: 1t seemed no more than minute til
: Slavin came in again, sober, quiet AM
steady. The passion was all gone from
}. his face, and only the grief remained.
AS we stood leaning over the sleeping
:, child the little thing opened it's eyes
e saw it's father and smiled. 1t was to-
much for him. The big man droppe,
q on his knees with dry sob.
els there no chance at all, at all?' b
). whispered, but l could give him n
b hope. He Immediately rose and, pull
e ing himself together, stood perfectl
quiet.
r A new terror seized upon the mother
r 'My baby is not-what you call it?
( going through the form of baptism
h can he will not come to la saint
n VERGE" she said, crossing herself.
is do not fear for your little one" sal
IT Mrs. Mavor, still with her arms abor
IT her. "The good Saviour will take you
IS darling into his own arms"
l. But the mother would not be comfor
TO ed by this, and Slavin, too, was uneas.
g "Where is Father Goulet?' he asket
o. "Ah, you were not good to the hol
i pere de las tam, Michael" she reptile
il sadly. '"The saints are not please IL
you"
e. "Where is the priest?" he demands
s. 81 know not for sure. At de Landir
OATS lak.'
it, "I'll go for him." he said.
Ds But his wife chung to him, beseechir
IS him not to leave her, and indeed he ws
n. loath to leave his little one.
n l found Craig and told him the diff
Guilty. With his usual promptness
ne was ready with solution.
"Nixon has a team. He will go
l Then he added: II wonder if thu