River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-09-11

HngerS the SUPERFICIAL vessels or the
temples, the forearms, the wrists the
knees, he counted the pulse; and he
looked long at the old mans finger
nails. When he paused, the colonel
said:
T "Well?"
Doctor Foerder bad retreated from
the bedside and was writing his d.
rections precisely, logically, as an Of
fetal draws up report, beginning
each paragraph with Roman numer-
al He did not answer the colonel :
| Foerder briefly consulted with
Lambert, that is, repeated tie direcf
lions he had already written out, and
began to buckle his big valise.
And as to nurse?" asked Doctor
Lambert. -ttt ae
I'll send one of my own said
Foerder. hastily lighting Russian
cigarette. He could not remain long
in one place. He had patients to see
and lecture to deliver over at Rush
Medical college and his man was
waiting with his high-hooded phaeton
down in Jackson boulevard.
| The nurse, diffusing faint odor of
antiseptics. came from Doctor Foer-
der's private hospital, laid aside her
bonnet and veil and pausing an in
slant to give a woman's touch to her
hair, quietly and deftly set the room
In order.
| All that afternoon the colonel lay
| in his darkened bedroom, fighting the
battle of his life. He lay so still the
nurse almost fancied him asleep, SO
regular was his breathing. Once he
broke the silence by asking the time.
Twenty minutes after three" the
nurse responded, glancing at her lit
tie watch.
Some of the conventions, them"
the colonel said, "are over. l won
der why they don't send me word"
The nurse did not notice bis speech,
and he added:
Pardon me, you doubtless are not
interested in politics"
The talking brought on a spasm Of
dyspnoea, and the colonel struggled
so painfully for his breath that the
nurse had to prop him up with pillows
in sitting posture, as those who are
afflicted with asthma pass their
nights, finding it easier thus to
breathe The colonel begged the
nurses pardon, as If he had commit
ted some indelicacy.
About this time news was brought
from the Fifth district convention in
Arlington hall and from the Sixth in
lungs hall, that the Warren men had
carried both districts. The colonel,
hearing the hoarse whispering be-
tween the messengers and Mosely in
the room outside, demanded informa-
ton, and Doctor Lambert had to tell
him. The colonel wished to see Nose
ly. he had some new plan for the
West Side to offset their loss; and he
saw Mosely and the plan was put in
execution. Then the colonel seemed
once more to sleep. When he opened
his eyes he asked If he could not have
a cigar-"seegar," he pronounced it
assuring the nurse that he felt much
| better, but she said, as one might
say to the within of child to whom
explanations are not vouchsafed:
mot just now"
/ And there was silence again, and
| the ticking of the nurses little watch
| BY 4 o'clock the colonel became
restless once more, and asked II
/ there were any news. When the nurse
said no, he insisted that there must
be some message, some letter, some
telegram. He did not know that his
followers, indicating all history, were
now standing afar off. He worried
and grew incoherent He seemed to
confuse Carroll with the boy who was
sleeping under the stars far away in
Arizona.
Doctor FOerder returned at
O'Clock. He had not been expected be-
fore evening, but he was interested
in the case. He had mentioned it in
his lecture that day He had com
mented on the wonderful display of
vitality on the patients part, and
spoken of the value in such cases
of moral treatment, of encouraging
words and a confident manner. He
read the nurses chart, counted the
colonel's pulse for fifteen seconds and
calculated the rate of multiplication,
drew down the old mans eyelids, not
ing the senile arc that was whitening
the periphery of the cornea and he ex-
amined the finger-nails; then the per-
cussion and the auscultation. When
he raised his black head, the colonel
said
ANY newS?"
You're doing WE'LL
"Awi" said the colonel impatiently,
81 don't mean that-any news from
the conventions?"
Foerder hesitated, as If half re-
luctant to display interest in anything
so human, but said
Yes"
WHAT" said the colNel eagerly,
his eyes Frightening with a light
that alarmed the doctor.
"They say you've carried some dis
tricts on the North Side"
Which ones?" asked the colonel
Don't remember"
Anything else?"
We'll. they say Warner has carried
some North Side districts, too-and
some West Side districts"
Warner"
well, whatever his name is"
Then Foerder was silent, and the
colonel lay long time thinking.
did you learn how it's going in the
Ninth, or the Second, or the Seven
teenth?"