The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1915-02-12

harrow handles fall and came into the
corridor blinking.
NO, wat is it youse want? Who
sent your
"Malcolm-that is, DR., Miller"
"Yes?"
And he said for M to get oxygen
in a tank, right away"
SAY. are you Mr.. Andrews?"
Andrews? Yes, that's my name.
My wife's sick-pneumonia-'
"Oh, yes, now l know. Say, sit down
a minute. I'll get it,"
He padded away on his rubber soles.
plum dotty!" he said to himself as
he unlocked the stOreroOm and
switched the light.
Mark, left alone, stared %unblinking-
" at the incandescent, c~lenching and
u~ncienching his bony hands, Once he
swallowed hard and tried to wet his
lips with his dry tongue. After a GER
tain time he heard a metallic rolling
noise, and saw in a dream the orderly
propelling a long blue cylinder down
the hall.
Here you are!" said Foley, AN
here's de tube an inspirator. I'll put
EN- right here in your pocket, see?
Now you wait one minute, an I'll fix
youse a good dose of whisky an git a
hat an some gloves. l guess one
pneumonia case at a tines enough for
amy family"
mo, no! l don't want it, l won't
have it! Let me-"
Shut up! If youse goes hollerin'
like cat you'll wake up all me pa
tients! You keep still, see?"
Mark, cowed, leaned against the
wall and waited. In two minutes he
was hated, gloved, and ready for the
home trip, with a gill of whisky burn
ing his stomach.
Lend a hand now" commanded Fo-
ley, AN wen load it on de wheel-bar-
rer. That's right. Easy down de steps
now! I'd send somebody wild youse,
if dere was anybody here, but dere
amt. Now, den, I'll hold de door
open till you reach de tracks. All
right? Got it? Good luck to youse!"
.
1t was a nightmare, that freezing
dark wallow back through the biz
zard. Shrieking w~ind-devils buffeted
Mark and snatched the breath from
his lips; snow-devils clogged the bar
row wheel; ~cold-devils shot him
through and through with long sting
ing arrows.
His clothes, stiffened and frozen,
made every movement doubly painful.
Twice he was blocked and had to kick
the snow away with numb feet.
Once a snow pillow jolted past, glar-
ing and sputtering; it forced him to
drag his load off to one side and al
most buried him in a smother of nov
The mans reason and thought stag
gered down and out; he became moth
ing more than an automaton, lunging
onward, soDbing, thrusting the barrow
on and on through the tumult
Sight and sound faded, cold faded;
darkness and wind and everything fad
ed from his consciousness-every-
thing but the lash of his idea. Time,
too, was blotted out; the universe was
just a whirl, a whirl, a whirl.
Suddenly a light broke through the
whirl and stopped It; then the nan
saw some steps and felt a thrill OF
recognition-the steps were hisl Some
n was coming down those steps-a
voice was calling dt seemed miles and
miles away:
Hurry! Hurry"
Oh, It was Malcolm, dear old Mally,
and-the cylinder was lifted; it was
, carried up the steps. Mark followed.
: Then his own self surged back again,
with sickening pains of memory. and
5 Mark stood shivering, gasping in his
: own house.
See! Malcolm was carrying the
? cylinder upstairs on his shoulder
Q Mark followed again; shutting up the
stairs. At TIE sickroom door the nurse
repulsed him.
r mo, no! You can't come in here!"
she whispered, laying her hand on his
I thin chest. mo, no! You're all wet
and cold. Keep Quit"
Q Quick" he heard Malcolm Wills
n per to the nurse. Hurry! Get that
inspirator onl She'll be gone in a
n minutel"
Then there came a little silence ana
Q the click Of a metal snap.
Q Now let's have it-easy at frstI
Just turn the valve till you hear It
hissl"
Another silence.
well, what's the matter? Why
don't you turn the waiver"
i. Il am turning 1t, doctorl"
/, you are? HIM, that's odd; there's
Is no gas coming. Throw It wide open!'
ID There, It won't go any further!"
IT. Say, what the Why, there
10 nothing in it! Foley must have giveI
him an empty"
Is. AN empty2"
to Mark appeared in the doorway, HI
face was the color Of old ivory.
ed Empty, was It? Empty" b
ka shouted.
N. "Hushl Go back"
cd And she's dead-dead?"