Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-07-21

That was In May. In November @
cold, unseen stranger, whom the doc
tors called Pneumonia, stalked about
the colony. touching one here and there
with his icy finger. Over on the easl
side this ravager strode boldly, smit
ing his victims by scores, but his feet
trod slowly through the maze Of the
narrow and moss grown places.
Mr.. Pneumonia was not what you
would call chivalric old gentleman
A mite Of little woman with blood
thlnned by California zephyrs was hard
ly fair game for the red fisted, short
breathed old duffer. But Johnsy be
smote, and she lay, scarcely moving
on her painted iron bedstead. looking
through the small Dutch windowpanes
at the blank side of the next brick
house
One morning the busy doctor invited
Sue into the hallway with a shaggy
gray eyebrow.
"She has one chance In, let us say
ten," he said as he shook down the
mercury in bis clinical thermometer
"and that chance Is for her to want
to live. This way people have Of lin
ing up on the side Of the undertaken
makes the entire pharmacopoeia look
silly. Your little lady has made up
her mind that she's not going to get
well. Has she anything on her mind?"
"She-she wanted to paint the bay
Of Naples some day." said Sue.
paint? Bosh! Has she anything on
her mind worth thinking about twice
a man, for instance"
"a man?" said Sue. with jewsharp
twang in her voice. rs man worth
But, no. doctor. there Is nothing Of the
kind"
"Well, 1t is the weakness. then" said
the doctor. 81 will do all that science.
80 far as 1t may filter through my ef'
forts, can accomplish. But whenever
my patient begins to count the car
riages in her funeral procession sub.
tract so per cent from the curative
power Of medicines. II you will get
her to ask one question about the new
winter styles in cloak sleeves ! will
promise you a one In five chance for
her instead Of one In ten"
After the doctor had gone Sue went
into the workroom and cried Japa-
nese napkin to pulp. Then she swag
gered into Johnsy's room with her
drawing board, whistllng ragtime.
Johnsy lay, scarcely making a ripple
under the bedclothes. with her face to-
ward the window. Sue stopped whis
tling, thinking she was asleep.
She arranged her board and began a
pen and ink drawing to illustrate a
magazine story. Young artists must
pave their way to art by drawing pic
lures for magazine stories that young
authors write to pave their way to
literature.
AS Sue was sketchiag a pair Of ele-
CANT horse show riding trousers and
monocle on the figure Of the hero. an
Idaho cowboy. she heard low sound
yeveral times repeated. She went
quickly to the bedside.
Johnsy's eyes were open wide. She
was looking out the window and count,
ing-counting backward.
Twelve" she said, and little later
eleven" and then "ten" and mine.
and then eight and seven" almost
together
Sue looked solicitously out the win
dow. What was there to count? There
was only bare. dreary yard to be
seen and the blank side Of the brick
house twenty feet away. An old old
ivy vine gnarled and decayed at the
roots climbed halfway up the brick
wall. The cold breath Of autumn had
stricken Its leaves from the vine until
its skeleton branches clung almost
bare to the crumbling bricks.
"What is It, dear" asked Sue.
ask" said Johnsy In almost whis-
per. They're falling faster now.
Three days ago there were almost a
hundred. 1t made my head ache to
count them. But now It's easy. There
goes another one. There are only Eve
left now."
give what. dear? Tell your Sudie.
Leaves OH the Ivy vine. When the
last one falls must go too. I've
known that for three days. Didn't the
doctor tell you?"
"Oh, l never heard Of such non
tense" complained Sue. with mag
niHcent scorn. What have old Ivy
leaves to do with your getting we'll;
And you used to love that vine so. you
naughty girl Don't be goosey. Why
the doctor told me this morning that
your chances for getting we'll real soon
were-let's see exactly what he said
he said the chances were ten to one
Why. that's almost as good a chance
as we have In New York when we ride
on the street cars or walk past new
building. Try to take some broth now
aud let Sudie go back to her drawing
30 she can sell the editor man with II
and buy port wine for her sick child
and pork chops for her greedy self"
"You needn't get any more wine,
said Johnsy. keeping her eyes fixed out
the window. There goes another
No: don't want any broth. Tha,
leaves just four. l want to see the
last one fall before II gets dark; ther
I'll 60 too"
"Johnsy, DEAR" said Sue. bending
over her. will you promise me to keeI
your eyes closed and not look out the
window until ! am done working?
must hand those drawings in by tomor
row. ] need the light or ! would draw
the shade down"
Couldn't you draw In the Other
roomT asked Johnsy coldly.