Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-11-29
None but the Brave
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} ( Frank A. Munsey. ! OW Oil W1 WW GW Wit WN} by DodS. - - x


MUCH IOT me anu Il yelieu Out IL SdNdSH
cry that brought her back in terror,
saying that / would die If l lay not still.
Then stay here!" / said hoarsely.
IF you go away II viii get out Of
bed!' Though God knows l could not
have sat up to save my life. Come
close to me-and-and talS-' Some
Trims in my face must have drawn her,
for she came and lay upon the
terpane, and lifting my head put it
upon her arm. And SO she talked, her
fair head close to mine, whispered
quietly such words as | would no more
put to paper, even If l could, than |
would tell the thoughts of my Utmost
soul to any one but God. No one can
be held to speak of this one our of his
life. 1t is his for all time and only his,
his to think on in after years, in times
Of stress and trouble, to dream on year
by year! And it shall go out to no
other, for it is true and sacred and be-
longs to him alone.
So thus l lay, closing my eyes from
weakness and comfort, yet must |
quickly open them again, because /
could look at her close by me ami
feared she would again be gone. Ani
by and by something in her words set
my head a-going, and looking at her l
asked, scarcely by means OF words,
how | came there.
Il did not know, dear! We thought
you gone. l dared not ask. No one
rave me a hint, till one day came a
messenger to me from my brother in
his camp, asking if you were dead and
saying where and how they left you"
And for a space she could not go on;
till, looking again, l saw a far-off light
in the depths OF her eyes, different from
anything j had yet read there. | ave
said it a dozen times here, yet | must
say it again: Never have | looked into
| gnph ewes Sn 1iffprpnt with aNprU HU-
ing mood, so much a tell-tale of her
thoughts.
And then 1 caught one evening at
dinner n hint that finally led to my
hearing from his own lips of Captain
Atherton's-of your-yOur-dear! My
dcar!-of that morning at C%orlear's
Hook" Again she lay still. Again l
opened my eyes Inc she went on: He
had such q strong, manly respect, such
a Chivalrous remembrance of you that
| came to like him and trust him, and
told him Of Roberts letter, and begged
him to learn something Of you. And
that day he began going through every
prison ship, every place where men
were confined, on the plea of selecting
those who had smallpox. And each
night he would come to me with a sor-
rowful shake of his head, out hopeful
words and never a fear or complaint of
the danger he ran.
mo record could be found Of your
name. You seemed to have sunk into
the earth. Then he tried to tell me
gently that he believed you dead. |
could not hear him and begged, be-
sought him to go again through the
prisons. / asked Sir Henry to let me
go and nurse the sick, that l might look
for you But he would not hear Of it,
and only laughed at me for a quiXotic
miss"
| stroked the hand that lay in mine
gently, and she went on.
80 one day l was sitting here in this
house-indeed, the good baroness
brought me here and kept me with her
constantly-when Captain Atherton
came to us running up the street and
cried that he had found you, and that
you We're very i'll, and DR.. Low had al
ready gone to see you-your life-might
yet be saved! Dear, Can you think
what that hour of waiting was to me?
| sat here by the window, while, as l
learned afterwards, this best of friends
told the captain to have you brought
to her own house-even when she did
not know If you might not have the
dreadful plague-and told the captain
all your story, for | had told her.
And he, finding that the doctor said
you had nothing contagious, SO far as
he could see, though you were nearly
uGdu from lever anu ldCh OI lOOu-Dt
brought you here in a cart covered with
straw md. vegetables to conceal you.
And hat was over six week gone now!
And God, the good God be thanked for
today, when you opened your eyes and
l saw reason there for the first time!"
The brown head came close to mine
and lay quietly except for the shake Of
q sob now and then, which she tried in
vain to suppress. And |, what of me?
Will not a man yet complain of heaven?
There | lay Cursing my illness, for that
l was too weak to take her in my arms,
and could do naught but turn my use
less head TO one side and put my lips
to the white sleeve that supported me.
Soon | pressed her hand, and she
looked ut me. l wanted to ask much
and knew not how, but only said:
Curtis? ?"
MY brother?" said she. you would
know how he isl"
1 nodded.
Safe and sound in his camp at Yer
planks. He got away in a BOAT across
the river"
"Acton?'
Yes, he too, Rob says, is we'll and
safe"
Then 1 looked at her steadily and
said not a word. And she sat up n
got upon the floor, with sorrow in her
face and something like dread written
there, too.
Il canot tell YOU" she whispered,
standing over me. Some one else must
do it. l cannot! l cannot"
oh" said n gruff voice behind her,
"oh, go right on! Don't mind me! Kill
him, kill him! Egad, ma'am, why don't
you take him for a walk and give him
trufles and champagne? Aye, don't
look at me, and plead and tell me this
and that! Just bang him on the head.
He's good and strong, and should be
thrown out on the snow!"
Twas Low, going on in sarcastic
wrath, and she had to run to him with
CONSERVATION in her eyes.
"Ah, doctor, doctor, have I done
wrong? He said he would get up and
follow me If l left him."
Get up!' snorted Low. "And how
the devil, ma'am, think you, he is go
ing to get up? o now! his cheeks
are all red again! Aye, and here's
fever. Why, o young r%eprobate of
a nurse, have l taught you these two
months so poorly as this?"
ooh, doctor!" cried she, in real alarm! |
Tut! not a word! But run and get
him some Of the milk and wine and a
bit of rennet-" and she was gone in
a flash.
We'll, lad" said he at that. 'Ye'll
fight again, Ell? How do you find your
self?" And he brought a bottle of some
nasty liquid and poured part Of it into
q spoon.
Il need zone of o bad tasting
stuff" sal |, trying to laugh.
Ohio" said he. No nasty stuff! l
suppose you've been having that that
tastes better than good iron, Ell? Well,
well, lad" and his voice changed, "'tis
the best medicine God could send We.
But remember you've no more back
bone in you than a bit of cake. and go
not too far. Here" he added. Look at
that!" and he held a little mirror be-
fore my eyes.
And IL truth be told, tvs q wretched