The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1905-01-05
BY PAUL De LANEY.
Author of Lord of the Desert.
Oregon Sketches" and other
Pacific Coast Stories.
CHAPTER XIII.


match, wife. | would like to see Hazel
marry we'll. l would dislike to have her
marry common fisherman. Wife, !
am not feeling well tonight | fear that
the young militia surgeon does not
know the truth. l believe that blood
poisoning is setting in"
Thus spoke old Seadog to his wife.
Strong as was the constitution of the
powerful man it had begun to yield and
he was first to detect it. His blood
burned In its channels. A weakening,
nervous sensation took possession of him
At times he could not distinguish the real
from the imaginary. seadog was very
sick man.
Several times that night he had sunk
into spasmodic slumber. He could hear
the dashing Of the waves, the creaking
of oars in their locks, the shouts of the
fishermen and the crack OF rifles. Then
he would start with groan as the hot
blood burned itself against the fevered
particles which we're gradually decaying
about the wound in his body. Then the
life-fuid would rush forth to the heart
furnace for publication, when it would
be sent out more sluggish than ever to
feed burning system.
The heart beats increased, the fever
rose higher and higher Old Seadog felt
his senses falling. The real became
more fanciful and the imaginary became
more REALISTIC. He finally fell into de.
lirum. 1t was then that his tongue
spoke words that sounded strange to
his wife's ears.
eyes, Nelson Saarela, won out over
you'll swore falsely, but won You
were sent to Siberia and gained the
czar's favor. l also won in the con-
tested will case and brought the money
to America where / have invested 1t
we'll. You were druggist to the czar,
but the apprentice in the great estab-
lishment drew the winning card.
came near to losing it though. Those
hateful southsidersl But Sankalal She
Is q brave girl. This burning in my
sidel Some one is prodding me with a
hot ironl Help, Helpl"
Husband! Husbandl" cried Mrs,Sea-
dog. She seized her companions hands
and rubbed them violently.
"What has happenedH" inquired the
sick man.
"You have grown worse, You said
such strange things"
"What did say2 l fear my condition,
wife,"
"You spoke Of Nelson saarela and a
will"
."Nelson saarellal have not uttered
the name for 20 years"
A gloom settled about the room that
caused the man to ask why the light
was so dim. A deadness in his limbs
caused him to suspect that he was grow
ing worse. The sullen flow of his blood
told him that unless change came his
hours were few on this earth.
"Wife, send for old Ringwold. After
all he knows more about medicine than
all of the doctors in this country. Send
for old Ringwold and he shall tell me
whether or not | am receiving proper
treatment"
One OF the boys was sent to request
the aged man to come. 1t was the first
time in his life Of nearly 20 years in the
village that he had been invited to the
Seadog home.
When left alone again the sick man
inquired OF his wife:
"Did you say mentioned Nelson
Saarela and will?"
eyes, and you said something about
Siberia and America and money" re,
piled Mrs. Seadog.
The old man looked about the room
in bewilderment for few moments and
then dropped into semi-conscious
state. His tongue began to give utter
ance to strange things again.
He spoke Of the ship which had
stradded upon the island nearly twenty
years before, the one which had brought
sankala and old Ringwold to the coun-
try, He spoke of some papers which he
had found abroad the wreck.
~ know he was lost" he muttered,
'I know he was lost. 1t is too late
now to do him Justice"
He continued in this strain until the
arrival of Ringwold. The feeble old
druggist was conducted to the bedside
of the sick man, and sat upon the bed
from sheer exhaustion. In the faint
gloom of the light he looked more like a
ghost than human being. His long
gray hair and beard concealed his feat
ures. But his sharp, keen eyes glist-
ened with unusual brightness,
The old man placed his trembling
fingers upon Seauogs Wrlst. linen ne
moved his hand to the sick mans breast
and placed it over his heart A fend-
ish smile lit up his face as he felt the
fluttering and spasmodic beating of the
organ.
lie drew q hyperdermic syringe from
his pocket and filed it with a fluid.
Then he injected it into Seadog's arm,
Several minutes of silence followed.
Ringwold kept his seat on the side OF
the bed He finally broke the silence
'Bring the lamp" he said.
While young Seadog held the lamp
and the wife looked on with anxiety,
Ringwold shook the sick man. He
pushed back the eyelids and exposed
the pupils which were greatly enlarged,