The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-05-16

I'll ee@e.1,
Suddenly there was a mighty check
TO the preparations. Two days before
the date set for the ball everything
came toSa standstiH and the managers
sank back m perplexity and consterna-
ton. Monty Brewster was critically
in.
Appendicitis, the doctors called it,
and an operation was imperative.
Thank heaven IFS fashionable, y
laughed Monty, who showed no fear of
the prospect. Glow ridiculous if It
had been the mumps Or ii, the newspa-
pers had said, s0n account Of the
whooping cough Mr. Brewster did not
attend his baHr 2
s.sYou don't mean to say-the ball is
of, Of course" And Harrison was real
" alarmed.
'eNot a bit Of it, Hopper" said Monty.
SITS what I've been wanting all along.
You chaps do the handshaking and
stay at home"
There was an immediate council Of
war when this piece Of news was an
nounced, and the Little Sons were
unanimous in favor Of recalling the In
vitations and declaring the party off.
At first Monty was obdurate, but when
some one suggested that he could give
the ball later on, after he was well, he
relented. The opportunity to double
the cost By giving two parties was not
to be ignored.
ACall 1t Off, then, but say that it is
only postponed"
A great rushing to and fro resulted
In the canceling Of contracts, the re-
calling OF invitations, the settlement Of
accounts, with the most loyal effort to
save as much as possible from the
wreckage. Harrison and his associ-
ates, almost frantic with fear for Brew
ster's life, managed to perform won
ders In the few hours Of grace. Gard
ner, with rare foresight, saw that the
Viennese orchestra would prove dead
loss He suggested the possibility Of
a concert tour through the country
covering several weeks, and Monty, too
I'LL to care one way OF the other, au-
horized him to carry out the plan if it
seemed feasible.
To Monty, fearless and less disturb
fed than any other member Of his cir
,cle, appendicitis seemed as inevitable
SIS vaccination
The appendix is becoming an i'm
pertant feature in the book OF life" he
once told Peggy Gray.
He refused TO go to q hospital, but
pathetically begged TO be taken to his
old rooms at Mrs. Grays.
With ali the unhappy loneliness Of &
sick boy he craved the care and COM
panionship Of those who seemed a part
sof his own. DR.. Lotless had them
transform small bedchamber into a
model operating room, and Monty took
mo small satisfaction in the thought
that il he was to be denied the priv
ilege Of spending money for several
weeks he would at least make bis ILL
ness as expensive as possible. A con-
sHltation Of eminent surgeons was call
ed; but, true to his colors, Brewster
Installed DR.. Lotless, a Little Son, as
his house surgeon. Monty grimly bore
the pain and suffering and submitted
30 the operation which alone could
save his life. Then came the struggle,
then the promise Of victory and then
the quiet days Of conyalescence. In
the little room where he had dreamed
his boyish dreams and suffered his boy
ish sorrows he struggled against death
and gradually emerged from the mists
OF lassitude. He found it harder than
he had thought to come back to life.
The burden Of it all seemed heavy.
The trained nurses found that some
more powerful stimulant than the med
icine was needed to awaken his ambl
ton, and they discovered it at last in
Peggy.
Child" he said to her the first time
SQS was pCEUlILtSQ W SEC h1u, oAAo AAs
eyes had lights In them, "do you know.
this isn't such a bad world after all.
Sometimes as I've lain here it has
looked twisted and queer, but there are
things that straighten it out. Today l
feel as though had place in it-as
though l could fight things and win
out. What do you think, Peggy? Do
you suppose there is something that l
could do? You know what mean
something that some one else would
not do q thousand times better"
But Peggy. to whom this chastened
mood in Monty was infinitely pathetic.
would not let him talk. She soothed
him and cheered him and touched his
hair with her cool hands, and then she
left him to think and brood and dream.
It was many days before his turbu-
lent mind drifted to the subject OF
money. but suddenly he found himself
hoping that the surgeons would be gen
erous with their charges. He almost
suffered a relapse when Lotless, Wis
ibly distressed. informed him that the