The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1910-12-23
ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR
FRIDAY, December %, 1910

tof once Foxes looked at the taunt
ing Briggs, and he looked at him
witherlngly, almost contemptuously
Nav" he said, "but l got a mother
Have ye?" in feigned astonlshment
"And what's up with herr"
For a full minute the boy was silent
and then there came a word from
somewhere down in his throat
sick"
Briggs suddenly felt ashamed OF
himself, not so much for the taunting
tone he had used, but rather that he
had not understood the situation from
the beginning. There was plenty OF
sympathy in the makeup OF Briggs
but It had held aloof from the heat OF
tragedies too long and had chilled
with the Incidence OF disuse. The
whole thing became quite clear to him
now; perhaps for the first time in
his life the youngsters heart had
been caught between the bumpers OF
love and duty. Circumstance was
forcing him into premature manhood.
81 guess the family II look out fer
her all right" Briggs suggested, at
last.
Amt no family. JUS me an neigh
bors. They took her to the hospital
fore left last night an said they'd
telegram me If she pulled through"
"Too bad" Briggs ventured softly.
Il wouldn't worry over It. II any mes
sage comes the operator will hand It
on. I'll speak to Garvin about IT,"
But the suggestion was scorned. 81
amt askln' favors Of nobody-'special-
ly him"
mo news is good news, tn say.
wouldn't worry, seem you've sold out
again tonight"
Doctors and things costs money
Amt you ever been sick?"
Bet yer life I have. Wig been
everything from quinine to consul
tations; they're bout the worst things
fellow can have"
Pokes nodded. That's what she's
got, one o. them new things like that.
Coin to have her 'pendage cut out
er suthin'. But she amt goln' to be
no free patient! She's goin' to pay
her way, she is" doggedly. I'm goin'
to wire some money on ahead"
i've noticed" Briggs observed
thoughtfully, that you can pretty
near tell what it's goin' to cost to get
rid of 1t by the name they give It.
Now, mumps, for instance, is cheap;
you see that's Just a common name,
and you can get ten cents worth Of
something in the drugshop, that's guar
anteed to cure. But look out fer yer
pocketbook when the medicine men
begin to spin out them heavy Latin
things like hydrocadoodlum or pipo-
nitis. When you get such things as
them, it's about up to you to jerk the
cord three times and send the brake
back with red flag"
Pokes was leaning against the
sliding door looking out into the snow
faxed gloom, and in the darkness out
there he seemed to see an alley, an
ambulance, crowd of curious onlook |
ers, a policeman, uniformed hospital |
attendants carrying a stretcher down |
narrow stairway, followed by a |
white-capped gray-gowned nurse, and |
a little old woman with drawn and |
wrinkled face-Mrs. McDermot, the !
steadfast one, who had cooked and
watched by the bedside during the
long, long days, sacrificing her own
housework in loving sympathy for the
woman whose form was family out
lined beneath the sheet-covered
mother! Again he
heard the questionings, the sympa-
thetic murmurs, the whispers Of his
old playmates as they stood by, proud
to have the friendship of boy who
could wear a uniform and be an in
tegral part of the morbid attention.
Then he saw the sneer upon the face
Of Mrs. O'Brierly, the "alley-grouch,
as in her half-drunken voice she cried,
Bah, it's only another wan of thin
dhrains on us poor taxpayers!" He
how he had been tempted
to strike her down and had thought
better of it. He had realized then
what 1t would mean to have his moth
er come back to the alley with the
stain Of -patientship upon her, and
ne resolved to pay the price, be It
what it might. Indeed, he had called
he doctor aside and directed that he
send in the bill for it all, and, wiring
ng hasty promise from Mrs. McDer-
11nf IN fo1nuroToh him gh
serious occur, he had hurried off to
he depot. 1t was satisfying now, to
NOW that Mrs. McDermot was with
Ter; it was not like being alone in a
ow Of iron cots filled with other suf-
erers, strangers who had no time for
Lught else than themselves and their
niseries.
His ear began to pain him where ,
Iarvin had cuffed it, but he galped ,
own the bitter lump in his throat
nd turned once more to Briggs.
Moons comm out" he said. {
Briggs came over to the window to
atisfy himself "By jimmy, that t
tretch Of rollin' white is pretty, amt t
+? We're gettin' near Rawlings; l
here's the old log mill up to its neck
q snow" Pokes turned his collar up {
nd buttoned his coat. Briggs stared f
t him. Eyer not goin' to try it again, t
re ye? Garvin's a mighty mean Gus s
omer when his dander's up Don't do d
; Pokes."
- \