The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1913-04-11

L
the snow came down too hard, and the
wind-you could hardly stand against
1t! 1t was a terrible pull. Perley's
Hotel at Antelope. or course, l know
all about 1t. ! was here last summer
for two weeks fishing"
She stretched out her hand for
glass. across the top of which book
rested. He followed the movement
with mute flxity.
"This Is your medicine" she said,
taking the book of the glass. you
| were to take 1t at five but didn't like
to wake YOU"
She dipped spoon into the glass
and held 1t out to him. But the young
man felt too Ill to bother with medi-
cine and, as the spoon touched his
| lips, he gave his head a slight jerk
and the liquid was split on the coun-
terpane. She looked at it for rueful
moment, then said. as If with gather
ing determination.
But you must take it. think per-
haps l gave it wrong / ought to have
lifted you up. It's easier that way"
and before he could answer she
slipped her arm under his head and
raised it, with the other hand setting
the rim Of the glass against his lips.
He swallowed mouthful and felt her
arm sliding from behind his head. He
had a hazy consciousness that a per-
tune came from her dress, and for
the first time he wondered who she
was. Wondering thus, his eyes again
followed her hand putting back the
glass, and watched 1t, white in the
gush of lamplight, carefully replacing
the book. Then she turned toward
| him with the same slight, soft smile.
Who are your" he said, keeping
his followed eyes hard on her.
I'm Rose Cannon" she answered.
Rose Cannon from San Francisco"
oh, yes" with a movement Of COM
prehension, the name striking chord
of memory. Rose Cannon from San
Francisco, daughter Of Bill Cannon.
OF course l know"
He turned his head away from her
and said dryly and without interest:
Il thought 1t was some one else"
SAAS 0>AI oSNu duu oolOS opSeAnAh6
slowly and clearly as though to a
child:
The storm has broken the wires,
but as soon as they are up, papa will
send your mother word, so you needn't
worry about that. But we don't either
of us know your wife's address. If
you could tell us"
She stopped. He had begun to frown
and then shut his eyes with an express
sion Of WEAKNESS.
THAT doesn't matter" he said.
Don't bother about it. Let her alone"
Again there was one of those pauses'
which seemed to him so long. He gave
sigh and moved restlessly, and she
said: .- ...-..
Are your feet very painful?"
eyes, pretty bad" he answered.
Whats the matter with them?"
"They We're frost-bitten, one partly
frozen"
oh" he did not seem profoundly
interested. 1t was as If they were
some one else's feet, only they hurt
violently enough to obtrude them
selves upon his attention. THANK
you very much" he added. "I'll be
all right tomorrow"
He felt very tired and heard, as
in a dream, the rustic Of her dress as
she moved again. She said something
about supper" and Mrs. Perley COM
ing" and the dark, enveloping sense
Of stupor from which he had come
to life closed on him again.
Some time later on he emerged
from it and saw another woman, stout
and matronly, with sleekly parted hair,
and an apron girt about her. He
asked her, too, who she was, for the
fear that he might wake and find his
wife by his bedside mingled with the
pain of his feet, to torment him and
break the vast, dead restfulness of the
torpor in which he lay.
It broke into CLEANS Of interest and
returning consciousness during the
next two days. He experienced an
acuter sense of illness and pain, the
burning anguish of his feet and fe-
vered misery Of his body, bitten
through with cold, brought him back
to a realization of his own identity.
He heard the doctor murmuring in the
corner Of threatened pneumonia" and
understood that he was the object
| threatened. He began to know and
separate the strange faces that seemed
continually to be bending over him,
asking him how he felt. There was
the doctor, Perley, Bill Cannon, and
the old Judge and three different wom-
en-, whom he had some difficulty in
keeping from merging into one COM
posite being who was sometimes "Miss
Cannon" and sometimes "Mrs. Per-
ley" and then again Cora"
When on the fourth day the doctor
told him that he thought he would
pull through" with no worse ailment
than a frozen foot, he had regained
enough of his original vigor and i'm
patience under restraint to express a
determination to rise and "go on" He
was in pain, mental and physical, and
the ministrations and attentions OF
| the satellites that SO persistently re-
volved round his bed rasped him into
irritable moodiness.
The doctor laughed at his desire to
move on" The storm was still rag
ing and Antelope was as completely
cut of from the rest Of the world as
II it were an uncharted island in the
unknown reaches of the Pacific.
Propping the invalid up among his pill
lows, he drew back the curtain and
let him look out through frost
| painted pane on world all sweeping
lines and skurrying eddies Of white.