The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1913-02-27

her slim young body. Gladly l would
have spared her this ordeal, but l had
been no less %unprepared than she. And
now, as gradually shapes defined them
selves less dimly in the gloom, the hor.
ror grew; and. held by it. speeches.,
inert. I stood where 1 had paused
the %quivering girl very close beside
me-staring. listening, wondering.
1t was a large room, lofty of ceiling.
with high windows. across which
heavy curtains were drawn; and the
only light was that which stole be.
tween these hangings or filtered
through three dark, r~ichly-colored,
glass medallions set in a side wall.
Cameron's bed. a massive, ~ornately
carved four-poster, was hung with
fringed and embroidered velvet, and in
the dusk Of the chamber it took on the
somber likeness of a catafalque. add.
ing to the eerie seeming a touch of the
funereal. anonymously from the
shadowy midst Of 1t came that ranted
rigmarole of strange words, now high
pitched. now bass, now cultural.
What had at first seemed a moving
gray patch had developed by degrees
into the white, night-robed. sitting fig.
ure of the invalid. swaying excitedly,
with arms extended in ceaseless ees.
lures. For a long moment this un.
canny object had held my gaze, but
presently cal the beds foot, l des-
cried Bryan's white uniform and the
sight brought a measure Of relief. In
response to a reckoning head-tilt, the
nurse Joined us.
II thought you had better come" he
whispered. quite calmly. II thought
possibly you might understand what
he Is saying"
But DON'T" I whispered back. "f
It's a real language l never heard It.
What do you imagine it ISL"
Il have an Idea it's Chinese" he an
swered. 1T sounds like the stuff you
hear at a Chinese theater, and
caught two or three words of pidgin.
English, just before you" He broke
of suddenly, and plucked at my sleeve.
"There!" he murmured. did you
hear that? Maskee. That was plain
enough. 1t means never mind A lit
tie while ago he vas evidently trying
to hurry some one. 1t was chop-chop
about every other sentence"
Evelyn's eyes shone luminous in the
gloom.
Cant you give him something to
quiet him 2" she begged. Its awful to
let him GO on like this. It's cruel. He
seems to be in such Distress"
Il can. Of course" Bryan returned.
But l thought Mr.. Clyde was anxious
TO have everything he said reported.
and"
ooh, do give him something" she
insisted.
Bryan left US to obey. l saw him
stop at a table cal the bed, and In
the half light l caught the CLINT of a
hypodermic syringe. But. as If scent
Ing his purpose. Cameron's voice lulled
abruptly. For a second or two he was
quiet. and then, before any one of US,
| think, suspected his purpose. he
turned, suddenly. swiftly, and slipped
from beneath the bed clothes to the
floor where he stood erect, with arms
appraised and tensed, shouting in shrill.
strident key what seemed to be orders.
directed not at n but at a horde.
The great bed separated him from
both Bryan and myself. but we skirted
1t in haste. and came upon him be-
fore he had taken more than a single
step. AS We confronted him, his arms
lowered and his clenched fists shot
forward t~hreateningly. But a far
more startling happening at this juno
ture was his abandonment of his Jar
gon. and his adoption of Ineligible
English.
"Below!" he yelled, fiercely. BE
low, o yellow dogs! Below, l say!
Every ours son of you! Below!"
Despite this turbulence he was not
difficult to master. Together Bryan
and I grappled him; in another mo-
ment we had him fiat on his bed once
more, and the nurse was pressing
home the piston Of that little shining
instrument of glass and silver which I
had so recently seen him take up from
the medicine table.
For q moment the patient rolled
about. restlessly. muttering strange
oaths, mingled with suppliant MUIR
murs. And to me this was the most
sadly trying part Of the incident. I
would gladly have retreated, but Eve
Ign begged me to wait.
"Just until he is quiet" she pleaded;I
lust until he falls asleep"
At length he lay quite still and we
thought from his regular breathing he
had succumbed to the narcotic, and so
were about to 60. when he started up
with a little feeble cry. low.voiced, but
clearly distinct.
mo. no. for Gods sake. not that! I
didn't kill them. l swear 1adidn't kill
them. 1t was an accident. 5aShe stove
on a rock. 1-1-didn't. I ssylI didn't
r."
His voice trailed into silence. He
dropped back. heavily. upon the pill,
lows. He slept.
1t is one thing to have your faith
in a friend shaken. That is serious
enough in all conscience. But your
faith may tremble. and sway and rock.
and still there ia a1wava thu noo~,hll.