Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-09-09

He mottoned me to look In.
tional meaning, they excited my curl
osity to the burning point for who
could tell If he might not say some
thing bearing on the mystery?
But that fevered mind had required
TO early scenes, and the babble which
came to my ears was all of mining
camps in the Rockies and the dicker
of horses. Perhaps the uneasy move
ment of my horse pulling at the end of
his tether had disturbed him. Per
haps-
But at the inner utterance of the
second perhaps" / found myself up
on my elbow listening with all my ears
and staring with wide stretched eyes
at the thicket of stunted trees where
The road debouched on the platform.
Something was astir there besides my
horse. / could catch sounds of an I'M
mistakable nature. A rider was COM
ing up the trail
Slipping back into my place, l turn
ed toward the doctor, who lay some
two or three hunks nearer the open
ing. He had started up, too, and in a
L
think he had observed my action, for
1t was very dark where l lay, and his
back had been turned toward me. AS
for the others, they slept like the dead,
only they made more noise.
nterested-everything is interesting
at such a height 1 brought my eye to
bear ON the ledge and soon saw by the
lob Nf ON
short branches of the trees, on which
my gaze was fixed, give way to an
advancing horse and rider.
"Hello!" shouted the doctor in
whisper which was in itself a warn.
ing. Easy there! We have sickness In
this camp, and it's late hour for Wis.
itors"
II know
The answer was subdued, but ear.
nest.
I'm the magistrate of this district
I've a question to ask this sick man on
behalf of the New York chief of police
who is personal friend of mine. 1t is
connected With
"Hush!'
The doctor had seized him by the
arm and turned his face away from
the sick tent. Then the two heads came
together, and an argument began.
could not hear word of it, but
their motions were eloquent My sym
pathy was with the magistrate, of
course, and watched eagerly while he
passed letter over to the doctor, who
vainly strove to read 1t by the light of
the moon. Finding this impossible, he
was about to return 1t when the other
struck a match and lit lantern hang
Ing from the horn of his saddle. The
two heads came together again, but as
quickly separated with every appear
ance Of ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and was set.
ting back with sensations of great dis
appointment when a sound fell on the
night so unexpected to all concerned
that with common impulse each eye
sought the sick tent.
water! Will some one give me wa
ter?" a voice had cried quietly, with
none of the delirium which had hither-
to rendered 1t unnatural
The doctor started for the tent.
There was the quickness of surprise in
his movement, and the gesture he made
to the magistrate as he passed In re-
awakened an expectation In my breast
which made me doubly watchful.
Providence was intervening In our
favor and l was not surprised to see
him presently reissue with the nurse,
whom he drew into the shadow of the
trees, where they had short confer
ence. If she returned alone into the
tent after this conference l should
know that the matter was at an end
and that the doctor had decided to
maintain his authority against that of
the magistrate. But she remained out
side, and the magistrate was invited to
| join their council. When they again
left the shadow of the trees 1t was to
approach the tent
The magistrate, who was in the rear,
could not have more than passed the
opening, but l thought him far enough
inside not TO detect any movement on
my part, so l took advantage of the sit
uation to worm myself out of my cor
ner and across the ledge to where the
tent made a shadow in the moonlight
Crouching close and laying my ear
against the canvas, listened.
The nurse was speaking in a gently
persuasive tone. imagined her kneel-
ing by the head OF the patient and
breathing words into his ear. These
were what I heard:
~You love diamonds have often
sissa-4