Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1915-11-11

clared, the Dalance was lncllnlng sLent-
ly toward recovery.
1t was In the afternoon Of this third
day, when she had been reading to
him, at his own request, the sayings Of
the Man on the Mount, that he re-
ferred for the first time to the details
Of the accident which had so nearly
blotted him out. Upon his asking, she
related the few and simple facts Of
the rescue, modestly minimizing her
own part in 1t. and giving her COM
panion in the catboat full credit.
1.-THE writer-man," he said thought
fully, when she had finished telling
him how Griswold had worked over
him in the boat, and how he would not
give up. ." remember; you fetched
him out to the hotel with you one
day; no, you medina fear I'll be for
getting him" Then, with a shrewd
look out of the steel-gray eyes: How
long have you been knowing him.
Maggie, child?"
"Oh, for quite a long time" she has.
tened to say. HE came here, sick and
helpless, one day last spring, and
we'll, there isn't any hospital here In
Wahaska, you know, so we took him
in and helped him get over the fever,
or whatever 1t a This was his room
while he stayed with u.s."
Andrew Galbraith wagged his head
on the pillow.
II know" he said. And ye're doing
1t again for a poor auld man whose
siller has never bought him anything
like the love you're spending on him.
You're everybody's good angel, I'm
thinking, Maggie, lassie." Though he
did not realize it, his sickness was
bringing him day by day nearer to his
far-away boyhood in the Inverness,
shire hills, and it was easy to slip into
the speech of the mother-tongue. Then,
after a long pause, he went on: HE
wasna wearing a beard, a red beard
trimmed down to a spike-this writer.
man, when We found him, was he?"
She shook her head. mo; l have
never seer him with a beard"
The sick man turned his face to the
wall, and after a time she heard him
repeating softly the words which she
had Just read to him. But If we for.
your father forgive. :" And
again, Judge not that We be not
Judged" When he turned back to her
there we're new lines Of suffering in
the gray old face.
"Im sore beset, child; sore beset,"
he sighed. you were telling me that
mcfarland and Johnson will be here
tonight?"
YES; they should both reach Wa
haska this evening"
Another pause, and at the end Of 1t:
THAT man Broffin; you'll remember
you asked me one day who he was. and
l tellt We he was a special officer for
the bank. Is he still here?"
"He is; l saw him on the street this
morning"
Again Andrew Galbraith turned his
face away. and he was quiet for SC
long 0 time that she thought he had
fallen asleep. But he had not.
You're thinking something Of the
WATERMAN, lassie? Don't mind the
clavers of an auld man who never had
a chick or child OF his ain"
Her answer was such as a child
might have made. She lifted the big
jointed hand on the coverlet and
pressed it softly to her flushed cheek
and he understood.
II thought SO; I was afraid So" he
said, slowly. you say you have known
him a long time; 1t Gamma have been
long enough, bairnie."
But 1t u.s." she insisted, loyalty. Z"
know him better than he knows him
self; oh, very much better"
"Ye know the good In him, maybe;
there's good in all men, I'm thinking
now, though there was a time when
I didna believe it."
81 know the good and the bad-and
the bad is only the good turned up
side down"
Again the sick man wagged his head
on the pillow and closed his eyes.
"Ye're a loving lassie, Maggie, and
! that's a. there is to It," he commented
and after another interval: "WhaI
must be, must be. We spoke Of this
mar Brofin: l must see him before
Johnson comes. Can we get him fol
me, Maggie, child?"
She nodded and went downstairs Il
the telephone. returning almost imme
diately.
81 was fortunate enough to catct
him at the hotel. He will be here In {
few minutes" vas the word she
brought; and Galbraith thanked bel
with his eyes.
when he comes, yell let me SCI
him alone-just for a few minutes" hi
begged; and beyond that he said nc
more.
1t was after the click Of the gate
latch had announced Broffin's arriva
that Margery drew the shades to shu'
out the glare Of the afternoon sun
lowering the one at the beds head 81
that the light no longer fell upon thu
instruments of the small house tele
phone set mounted upon the wall be
side the door.
"Mr. Brofin is here, and I'll sent
him up" she said. But you mustn'
let him stay long, and you mustn't tr.
to talk too much"