The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1907-05-17
Fire and Water
By LOUISE J. STRONG.
Copyright, 1871, by p. c. Eastment.

o"o-o.O.o.o.Oo.O.O.
The fever scorched him physically
and befogged him mentally. He tossed
in hot, restless haze, at times bah
bling childishly OF mother - the
mother whose loss three years before
had sent him to the far west to try t.
forget his LONELINESS. The struggle tC
master the new conditions attendant
on ranch life had taken him out of him
self and done him good, and as success
crowned his efforts dreams of home
again, made 50 by the presence Of O
sweet faced girl wife, lighted his toll.
They were only dreams as yet, fol
he held himself humbly and had hest
tated to offer his love until he felt that
his affairs were on firm basis finan
cially, as they would be when his pres
ent abundant crop was harvested.
In his partial delirium and haZy wan
dering he muttered now the long re-
pressed confession, whispering it eager
~ with feverish impatience for the re
spouse his heart hoped for.
At length the silence which lay like
the pail Of desolation upon the lonely
little shack was broken by heavy foot
steps on the planks at the door, and q
burly fellow strobe in with Il noisy
greeting: Hello, Harris! Laid up,
hey"
The sick man reused to consciousness
and smiled feebly: How do, Lamson,
Glad you came in. Yes, I've been laid
up bit-can't remember how long
fever muddles my head" His speech
was broken and dragged thickly.
"Ain't wanting to eat much, s'pose,
and good thing that IS, too, for an old
bach that's got nobody"
Harris WINGED. Mother had been In
his sick fancy so much and with such
vividness that his bereavement seemed
but few days back. With an effort
he replied:
II want nothing but water and Slade
brings me Il pailful mornings, when
he doesn't forget, as he did today" He
gestured toward the empty bucket on
the chair beside the bed, but the visitor
did not notice it-nor the longing In
the fever red eyes and the cracked lips.
Doctor, Of course?' he intimated
briskly.
mo; Slade wouldn't go for him, and
no one else's been ill.,"
"Slade wouldn't go! Ha, ha! Guess
not much! You don't get the old
ground hog that far from his hole back
of the hill Everybody's buster than
in sheep shearing time, you know, har-
vesting their grain. Reason no ones
been along. l reckon. I'm through in
fine shape. l tell you, and I've prom
ised myself and gang to Snyder for a
week. And. man, you'd ought to be
looking after yours. It's spelling fast,
l noticed" He laughed at the startled
expression that widened the hollow
eyes. Forgot 1t, had you? Well, you
want to see to it right away. l must
mosey I'm out on a sweet errand.
Got my new house done. It's beaut,
too and furnished tiptop. And now the
cage is ready Pm going up to settle
the date Of taking home my bird. Liz
zie's fought shy, but she'll pull steady
when were tied all right. Ha, ha."
"Lizzie?" Harris repeated vaguely,
his voice hesitating and troubled.
"Sure! Lizzie Bradley-Lamson. Kind
O. tidy name, take 1t; something like
those swell New Workers. Ha, ha"
He roared boisterously at his flash Of
wit. "Well, hope you'll pull up soon.
So longr' He stamped away, whis-
thing, leaving the door open.
In the silence that again closed upon
him Harris lay and stared out at the
quivering heat waves and little dust
eddies that whirled in at times, aggra-
waiting his burning heat and thirst.
But he did not notice them. He was
striving to steady his throDbing brain
and analyZe the torturing inner sense
of pain and loss which now intensified
his bodily distress.
The crop-the c-r-o-p-that was all
right. 1t was great. He could put up
the dainty cottage he had planned so
often these last months, since the
promise Of early summer had shown
such abundant fultillment In the ripen-
ing fields. The crop-the crop! Who
said it was spelling? 1t was all right.
He would begin on it today, when he
had drink. He could drink the well
dry. He fumbled clumsily with the
bedding and essayed to rise, but fell
back inertly, little foolish smile on
the parched lips. His head was so
big! He had not known ones head
could be so big and heavy. And the
crop? The crop was all right. He
would build the cottage-for-for Liz
Zie. LiZZiei He cried out hoarsely,
with a pang Of anguish at the sudden
dull recognition of his loss. There was
no Lizzie for him-nOne-nOne-nor
had been. What mattered the cropP
Let it spoil. What mattercd anything
now Lizzie-LiZ-Z-i-e-b ird-cage-Li
zie Brad-Liz? He scowled impatiently.
He could not get the name right. His
head was so big. He was so hot
burning.
Mother! Where was mother? Was
she in the fiery lake that Elder Wat
son had 50 scared the little boys with?
He hadn't meant to be Il bad boy
mother knew-she would keep him, but
he was SO hot-burning! Water, water!
LizZie-Liz-Zie Brad-ley-Lamson! Liz
zie Bradley? Lamson! The perpleXed
look deepened to a frown Of pain and
trouble He had found her name, and
as he drifted. further and further from
consciousness he carried her name with
him back to little boyhood, tangling it
with his brothers, but never losing 1t
entirely again. Lizzie Bradley -Lamson
be careful Davy-mother said rot to
go so near the bonfire-but he did, Joe,
the careless one-and now he was
burning, burning mother-LiZzie Brad
leg-LamsOn.
"Oh, you poor, poor boy! Bring some
water, quicki'
Did some one speak, or was it-again
the little, foolish smile cracked the
parched lips. He had known mother
would come-she always did when her
boys were hurt, even If they did 1t
carelessly themselveS-but she did not
know how big his head was or she
would not try to lift 1t. Oh, he was at
the old spring misunderstanding!
HE must not have too much at once.