Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1906-12-27
MUIR Sc Helen
BY IZ0LA FORESTER
Copyright, 1906, by Ruby Douglas

Copyright, 1906, by Ruby Douglas
The first recollection Derrick had Of
ner was very haZy.
There had been the fight outside of
Kid Murray's. lie remembered that,
every detail of it. For nearly n week
he had been waiting for it to come of,
on a tip from the union secretary. And
it had all come true. The very night
that Barker had landed from Pitts
burg they had prepared his reception
in memory of the speeches he had
made before the coal barOns. He had
been faithless. Barker had. He had
dallied and parleyed and dined and
hobnobbed and, as Murray said, play
ed the fool generally, and the wine of
1t all had made him heady, and this
while thousands Of strikers waited on
his word and their children and wives
waited for daily bread,
1t was not wise of Barker Even
Derrick could see that, and Derrick
was merely reporter for what Murray
called the pink sheet" So the night
that Barker returned to make his ex-
planatory address in Central hall Der
rick was on hand to see the fun. He
saw it. Not only that, but he was
right down in the middle Of it, and
when the boys made dash for Barker
as he tried to glide out the back win.
dow be went with them, not knowing
exactly why but crazy with the sight
of the running fox, like the rest OF the
hounds.
They caught him outside OF Muir
rays, and those who could not get
their hands on him began to throw
things. Some of the things went
astray, and when the melee was clear
ed and Barker had been thrown up by
the tide into an ambulance Derrick,
the pink sheet reporter, was beside
him with a battered Uranium and a
family riotous sense of victory, as he
dropped into Inconsistencies, OF nav
ing got beat on the other papers.
But the beat never came out, be-
cause for days the pink sheet re-
porter lay up at Bellevue, and the
world spun round him In gray circles
like. Il view Of the fifth heaven. Then
gradually out Of the circling grayness
he distinguished one shape that came
and went with more tangibility than
the other dreams. And one morning
he opened his eyes and saw two real
objects clearly, without the gray film.
They were Nurse Helen and Barker.
Barker lay couple of beds away
from him. He could see the face on
the pillow. The redness had left It,
and some of the unctuOus mildness.
The outline Of the profile looked harsh
and almost forcible against the white
pillow. And lie was asleep.
Derrick glanced up at the nurse. She
was dressing the wound on his head
swiftly, deftly, easily. lmpersonally. a
ward surgeon in white came by, stop
ped and bent forward to examine the
wound
HE can leave tomorrow" he said
briefly and went on.
And suddenly Derrick changed his
mind. lie did not want to leave. He
wanted to stay there forever and let
this girl in gray and white pat him
aud wrap hi up and ease him. Then
be thought OF Barker.
"Is he badly hurt?" he asked.
The nurse looked startled for an In
slant At lelst her eyes lost their i'm
personal look and met those of Der
rick. Then she understood.
Eyes. He will not he out for several
weeks" she said quietly.
Derrick remembered swiftly. Sew
eral weeks. That would carry him past
the 10th. and tie 10th was the decisive
day in Pittsbwg. And If Barker were
not OF hand at that arbitration meet.
lug to daily and parley and fool aroun
generally something definite might re-
suit There was only one man to send
I'm his place, Strogund, and If Strogu
went there would lie no parley, no foe
Ing He would win the strike
"Uavc | been here longF he asked.
The nurse was clearing the table be-
side the he'd of bandages and bottles
Derrick noticed that her hair was rel
dish brown beneath her cap. He cor i
see the little curls around the edges.
Two weeks ago yesterday you were
brought in she replied. at Is tie
9TH
Derrick tried to sit up in bed.
Two weeksr' he gasped and dropped
heavily back on his pillow.
You must not do that" said the girl
severely. You have had q high fever
and are still very weak. Don't you sit
up again"
She went on and Derrick closed bis
eyes. The grayness swept around him,
clrcling. wheeling, waving. until he
| could not stop himself and was lost in
| its void When he awakened 1t was
night. There were two fgures stand
ing beside him, tlc girl nurse and an
! older woman
lie is worse" the girl was saying.
! .'In,. es,.s r.,-,, saiI 10 ,,>ie-i-' i~~-