The Springfield herald., 1913-05-23
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By MARTHA BE,LINGERs
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SaAup uIoppeO lib ueaO, covering ulb
face with his hands. Agatha, watch
ing. by and by saw change come
over the sick mans face. She held
her breath, 1t seemed for untold min
utes. while Doctor Thayer reached his
hand to the patients heart and leaned
over to observe more closely his face.
"See!" she whispered to Aleck.
touching his shoulder lightly. "he is
looking at u.s." When Aleck looked up
James was indeed looking at them
with large. serious, half-focussed eyes
1t was as II he we're coming back
from another world where the laws of
vision were different, and he was only
partially adjusted to the present con-
ditions. He moved his hands feebly
under the bedclothes. whore they
we're being warmed by the freestone.
and then tried to moisten his lips.
Agatha took glass of water from
the table. looked about for a napkin,
but. seeing none. wet the tips OF her
fingers and placed them gently over
James lips. His eyes followed her at
first. but closed for an instant as she
came near. When they opened again.
they looked more natural. As he felt
the comfort of the water on his lips.
his features relaxed. and look of
recognition f1lumined his face. His
eyes moved from Agatha to Aleck.
who was now bending over him. and
back to Agatha. The look was sa-
lutte. happy and peaceful. Then his
eyes closed again.
For an hour Agatha and Aleck kept
their watch, almost fearing to breathe
Doctor Thayer worked, gave quiet or
ders, tested the heartbeats, let no
movement or symptom go unnoticed.
For time James kept even the doc
tor in doubt whether he was slipping
Into the Great Unknown or into a
deep and convalescent sleep. BY the
end of the hour. however. Jimsy had
decided for natural sleep. urged there
to. perhaps. by that unseen playwright
who had decreed another time for cur
tain; or perhaps he was kept by Doc
tor Thayer's professional persuasions,
In defiance of the prompter's signal
However the case. the heart slowly
but surely began to take up its Job
like an honest force-pump. the face
began to lose Its death-like pallor. the
breathing became more nearly nor.
NAL. Doctor Thayer. with Mrs. Stod-
dard quiet and efficient at his elbow,
worked and tested and worked again,
and finally sat moveless for some
minutes. watch in hand. counting the
pulsations OF James heart. At the
end Of the time he laid the hand care
fully back under the clothes. put his
watch in his pocket. and finally got
up and looked around the room.
Mrs. stoddard was pouring some
thing into measuring glass. Agatha
was standing by the window. looking
out into the blue night; and Aleck
could be seen through the half-open
door. pacing up and down the hall.
Doctor Thayer turned to his sister.
Give him his medicine on the half
hour, and then you go to bed. That
man Hand will do now" Then he went
to the door and addressed Aleck.
We'll. Mr.. Van Camp. upless some
thing unexpected turns up. think
your cousin will live to jump over
board again."
Offhand az the words were, there
was unmistakable satisfaction, happi-
ness, even triumph In his voice, and
he returned Alexis hand-clasp with a
vise-like grip. His masculinity ignored
or pretended to; but she had
followed him to the door. As the old
man clasped hands with Aleck, he
heard behind him a deep. 20 Doctor!"
The next instant Agatha's arms were
around his neck. and the back Of his
bald head was pressed against some
thing that could only have been
cheek. Surprising as this was, the
doctor did not stampede: but by the
time he had got clear of Aleck and
cheek, 1t was gone, and the arms, too.
Susan Stoddard somehow got mixed
up In the general Te Deum in the
hall, and for the first time. now that
the fight was over, allowed her femi-
nine feelings-that Is, few tears
to come to the surface.
Aleck, however. went to pieces,
gone down in that species of mental
collapse by which deliberate, judicial
men become reckless. and strong men
become weak. He stepped softly back
into the bedroom and leaned again
over the curved footboard, his face
cutie miserable. He went nearer. and
held his ear down close to the bed
clothes, to hear for himself the regu-
lar beating of the heart. Slowly he
convinced himself that the doctors
words might possibly be true. at least.
He turned to Hand. who had come in