The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-08-16
CHAPTER l.
NO, 3, JoHNSON'S NEWS.
is there no hope. DOCTOR"

HNeO
The doctor paused. The gulp before
that hateful word was not lost on him.
!. He tried professional severity, and be-
slowed some care on the buttoning o.,
a glove.
am surprised" he said. that an
excellent woman like your mother
should encourage your feelings of-er-
repugnance toward-er- Confound
IT, boy. have you no relatives or
friends?"
world"
And hard up. eh?"
The boy dug a hand into a pocket
with the stolid indifference of despair
He produced two shillinss and some
pennies He picked out the silver, and
the man Redeemed in protest
Don't be stupid. Philip. That is
your name. is ii not? When | want
my fee / will ask for II. Your mother
needs nurse. wine chicken broth.
You are old enough to realize that A
doctor practicing I'm a neighborhood
like this might want such things him
self and whistle for them. But in the
-er-infirmary they are provided by
the state
Would my mother have lived had
che consented to be taken there a
month ago?"
Again the man wondered at the
stony persistence of the questioner. a
Notwithstanding. active boy of Is. at
ured In worn clothes too small for him
and wearing an old pair of boots sew
eral sizes too large. The strong. young
) race, pinched with vigils and privation.
the large, earnest eyes. heavy with un-
shed tears, the lips. quivering in their
resoiute compression over a chin that
indicated great strength of character.
appealed far more to the doctor than
the whimpering terror with which the
children OF the poor usually meet The
grim vision OF death
The Hrestie with the glove ceased
and kindly hand rested on Philips
shoulder
No came the quiet answer. NAV
God help you, she would not have
lived"
God does not help anybody" was
the amazing retort
The doctor was shocked, visibly so.
That is a foolish and wicked state
n1ent. he said. sternly. DO not let
your mother hear such awful words
She has lived and will die a true Chris
tian. | have never met woman ~
greater natural charm and real piety.
She has suffered so much that she
u "a.
not a punishment. Cast away these
terrible thoughts; go. rather. and kneel
by her side in prayer"
For an instant the great brown eyes
blaZed fiercely at him.
Am 1 10 pray that my mother shall
be taken from me?"
Even that, if il be Gods will"
The CLEAN Of passion yielded to utter
helplessness. The boy again brought
forth his tiny store of money.
surely" he said. Il can buy some
small amount of wine. In the shops
they sell things In tins that make
chicken broth. don't they? l have a
fire and kettle. Would you mind tell
ing me"
There. there! You go to your moth
er, and endeavOr to cheer her up /
WIN see what l can do. What, Would
you argue with me? Go at once: | in
sist. Listen. she is calling for youi"
In that poor tenement there were no
secrets. A rickety staircase. crudeIy
built against the retaining wall of the
only living room on the ground floor
led steeply to an apartment above, and
eliminated in an opening that sug-
Eaneled. were we'll provided with
o4helves and pegs. The back door was
sfastened with a latch, a contrivance
rarely seen in the London of today
The front window looked out into a
badly-paved court girt by tumble
down stables. A smaller window at
the back revealed a dismal yard dark
ened by lofty walls. Although little
more than a stones throw removed
from the busy Mine End road. the
place was singularly quiet. 1t was al
ready dead and only waited the COM
ing of men with pickaxes and crow
bars TO sweep away the ruins
the boy heard his name whispered
rather than spoken. The sound gal
vanIzed him into vivid consciousness.
Doctor" he said, earnestly, you
will come back"
Yes, yes: within half an hour Tell
your mother 10 expect me-
j Philip ran up the stairs. Long prac-
tlce had enabled him TO move with
minimum of noise. 1t was pitiful to
see the manner In which he emerged
with stealthy activity into the creak-
ing loft above. Here. at first glance,
here was an astonishing degree of
comfort. Odd pieces OF worn carpet
neatly Joined. covered the floor. The
two windows. facing only to the front
Of the dwelling, were curtained. The
whitewashed walls were almost hidden
by cutting from the colored periodicals
published during the previous Christ
mas season. A screen divided the room
ing a tiny bed. On one of these,
propped up with pillows. lay the
wasted figure of a woman over whose
face the shadows were falling fast
The extreme thinness, the waxen pal
Tor. the delicate texture OF debilitated
skin and unnatural brilliancy of the
eyes. gave her a remarkably youthful
appearance. This fantastic trick Of
death in life accumulated the resem-
blance between mother and SON The
boy, too, was sharply outlined by hun
ger. and. in the fading light of a
March day. the difference between the
dread tokens OF approaching collapse
and the transient effects of a scanty
regimen on a vigorous youth was moi
readily distinguishable
do you want anything. mother
DEAR" said the boy. laying his hand
tenderly on the clammy forehead.
only to ask you. Phil. what IT was
that the doctor told you
The voice was low and sweet-the
diction that OF an educated woman
z'rhe boy. too. though his tones
we're strong and harsh. spoke with the
accent of good breeding. His manner
and words gained some distinction
from a. slight touch OF French elegance
r-t.s