The Savannah morning news., 1903-08-16

!, leader was known on all sides as a
man Of happy temperament and great
sympathies, whose heart and purse
were always at the disposal of those
in trouble.
A door opened in his room. He shut
the window and switched on the light
A hospital nurse stood at the entrance
to the study.
You may come now, sir"
Up the broad staircase and through
long passages the nurse and the mas
ter OF the house passed into a room
which contained a small cot. Beside
it stood another nurse. In front Of
the fire two doctors whispered. Joe
Miller went straight to the cot. HIS
rough, weather-beaten hands, never
mouled into shape by even the best
manicurists. clasped nerVously but
gently the tiny fingers of his child.
The big black head, with scarcely a
gray hair in it. bent anxiously over
the boys face.
jack"
No answer.
Jack! Its me! Your dad! It's
fardie!"
The child tossed uneasily in his
fever. His eyes were open, but APP
parently he saw nothing. The power
full hands frightened almost insensibly
The pressure brought mnmentary con-
seriousness. Two blue Eyes looked
knowingly into those of Joe Miller.
where you been faTdieY 1t was
a quavering little voice.
"I'vo been waiting for you, sonny.
" - to tell you that you're to
be a boy and get well quickly"
"N LeIe's muVVer?"
The irrelevancy of the question made
.l.k rraV No
into his eyes.
Mother" he said slowly, will be
back soon. She had to go out"
There was a long pause. The doc
tors slipped out. Both nurses sudden
ly remembered that they had left
something in the adjoining room.
"Did-did-did muv-ver dance with
the-Kirg?"
Il don't know and / don't care!"
Even before this sick bed the man
was not quite master of his anger He
had begged his wife not to go to
court. In a fit of temper, not uncom-
mon occurrence between herself and
the man she had married almost sole
ly for his money, she went by herself
to join other friends at the palace.
She had been gone ten minutes when
the child had a serious relapse.
The fevered mind wandered. The
cause OF Joe N1llleT y anger, anu even
| the anger itself, made no impression
upon this overweight brain of five
years old. He was now with his toys
his only playmates, for the Millers
| had but one child. He wanted his
roclking-horse. With imperious ges-
ture Joe Miller demanded that 1t be
| brought Only the earnest entreaty
of the doctors prevented him from
bringing it himself.
/ IA.
The cry betokened a moments re-
! turn to consciousness.
In an instant Joe Miller was at the
| cot and held in his arms the one thins
| in life he loved. Hot arms circled his
neck and smooth, burning skin nestled
! against his rough face.
Listen! Far'die!" 1t was the con-
! fidential whisper, almost into his ear
! which comes so naturally between
! children and those they love. The
! doctors and nurses were standins
near, anxiously waiting to reclaim
their patient.
you mustn't forget, far'die"-th'
little voice was quite weak-"buy M
-that-that motor car-you promised
you remember-don't you, far'die-
then me be welly good boy-and ge
| quite we'll
With that the nurses took him anC
| Ine QCltIluill IellIAeh JUG N1iAlCA Mss
ed the boy, and went back to the
study.
He threw open the window. The
impasse of traffic had more or less
disappeared, but the fog had thickened-
1t faced him like a gelatinous wall,
built up from the ground flush with
the house, Opaque, shutting out the
world, yet sensitively reflective. AS
figures creep out under the influence
of chemicals from the white blur of
a Photographic plate in course of de-
veloping, so there slowly developed
in the fogscape, with the windows for
a frame, shadowy figures not hard for
Joe Miller to recognize; memories
bitter for him to recall. He shut the
| window hastily.
An overwrought brain, nervous ten
sion and the cry of a child had un-
manned him. 1t was absurd. Half in
consistently. half in bravado, he re-
opened the window. And again his
thoughts and memories Shouted
| themselves in the fog.
boy is dancing with a girl in the