Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-01-05

u he adGeu: "but II ever goes
I must pull out. l couldn't stand It"
AS we rode up the doctor came out.
well, what do you think" asked
the Duke. Al
Cant say yet replied the old doc
tor, gruff with long army practice.
bad enough. Good night"
But the Dukes hand fell upon his
shoulder with a grip that must have
Got to the bone, and in a husky voice
he asked:
Twill she Nvs"
The doctor squirmed, but could not
shake off the crushing grip.
Here. you young tiger, let so! What
| do you think l am made OIL" he cried
| angrify. x didn't suppose was COM
ing to a bears den or I should have
brought q gun"
1t was only by the most complete
| apology that the Duke could molhfy the
| old doctor sufficiently to get his opinion.
Si"No, she will not die! Great bit of
stuff! Better she should die, perhaps!
But can't say Jet for two weeks. Now
remember" he added sharply, looking
into the Dukes woe stricken face, "her
spirits must be kept up. l have lied
most fully and cheerfully to them in
side. You must do the same" And the
doctor strobe away, calling out:
Joe! Here, Joe! Where is he gone ?
Joe, l say! Extraordinary selection
Providence makes at times; we could
have spared that lazy half breed with
pleasure! Joe! Oh, here you are!
Where in thunder But here the
doctor stopped abruptly. The agony in
the dark face before him was too much
even for the bluff doctor. Straight and
stiff Joe stood by the horses head till
the doctor had mounted. Then with a
great effort he said:
Little miss, she 80 dead?"
"Dead!" called out the doctor, glanc.
ing at the open window. why
bless your old copper carcass, no! Gwen
will show you yet how to rope a steer"
Joe took q step nearer, and, lowering
his tone, said:
you speak me true? Me man, me
no papoose." The piercing black eyes
searched the doctors face. The doctor
hesitated a moment, and then, with an
air of great candor, he said cheerily:
That's all right, Joe. Miss Gwen
will cut circles round your old cayuse
yet. But remember" and the doctor
was very impressive, you must make
her laugh every day."
Joe folded his arms across his breast
and stood like a statue till the doctor
rode away. Then, turning to US, be
grunted out: .....
Him good man, ehT'
Good man." answered the Duke,
adding, 'but remember, Joe, what he
told you to do-must make her laugh
every day"
Poor Joe! Humor was not his forte,
and his attempt in this direction in the
weeks that followed would have been
humorous were they not so pathetic,
How did my part I cannot tell. Those
weeks are to me now Ike the memory
of an ugly nightmare. The ghostly old
mar moving out Of and into his little
daughters 70 in useless, dumt
agony, Ponka's woe stricken Indian
face, Joe's extraordinary and unusual
but loyal attempts at fun maklng-gro.
tesquely sad, and the Dukes unvaryine
and invincible cheeriness-these furnish
light and shade for the picture my mem.
DRY brings me Of Gwen in those days.
For the first two weeks she was sim.
ply heroic. She bore her pain without q
groan, submitted to the imprisonment
which was harder than pain, with an.
geic patience. Joe, the Duke and
carried out our instructions with care
ful e1actness to the letter. She never
doubted. and we never let her doubt
but that In a few weeks she would be
on the pinto's back again and after the
cattle. She made us pass our word TO,
this till it seemed as If she must have
read the falsehoods on our brows.
T lie cheerfully with her ewes unor