The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-02-24

Jun oOtty' uC ooAo W uiuiSCh 90
he unlocked the storeroom and ,
switched the light. !,
Mark, left alone, stared unblinking- ,
ly at the incandescent, clenching and
his bony hands. Once he
swallowed hard and tried to wet his
lips with his dry tongue. After a Ger.
tain time he heard metallic rolling
noise, and saw in a dream the orderly
propelling = long blue cylinder down
the hall.
Here you are!" said Foley. an !,
here's de tube an inspirator. Ill put
EN- right here In your pocket, see?
Now you wait one minute, an I'll FIX
youse . good dose Of whisky an git
hat an some gloves. I guess one
pneumonia case at q times enough for
amy fam'ly!"
mo. no! l don't want it. won't
have It! Let me"
shut up! II youse goes hollerin'
like dat you'll wake up all me pa
tents! 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 gill Of whisky burn
ing his stomach.
Lend q hand now" commanded Fo.
ley. IAN we'll load 1t 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, Ill hold de door
open till you reach de tracks. All
right? Got it? Good luck to youse!"
It was q nightmare, that freezing
dark wallow back through the bliz.
zard. Shrieking wind-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 snow pillow jolted past. glar-
ing and suffering; it forced him to
drag his load of to one side and al.
most buried him in q smother of snow
The mans reason and thought stag
gered down and out; he became moth
ing more than an automaton, lungine
onward. sobbing, 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 wa
Just q whirl. whirl, whirl.
Suddenly . light broke through thu
whirl and stopped It: then the mai
saw some steps and felt thrill o
recognition-the steps were his! Some
, one was coming down those steps
, voice was calling Ut seemed miles an
. miles away:
Hurry! Hurry"
oh, 1t was Malcolm. dear old Mally
and-the cylinder was lifted; 1t wa
I carried up the steps. Mark followed
> Then his own self surged back agaii
t with sickening pains Of memory. an
Mark stood shivering. gasping in hi
0 own house.
See! Malcolm was carrying tn
2 cylinder upstairs ON his shoulde
a Mark followed again; stunning up tn
stairs. At TIE sickroom door the nurs
D repulsed him.
q mo. no! You can't come in here!
she whispered. laying her hand on h
q thin chest mo. no! You're all w
and cold. Keep out!"
II Quick" he heard Malcolm viii
4 per to the nurse. Hurry! Get tn;
q inspirator on! She'll be gone in
q minute!"
|. Then there came little silence ar
# the click of a metal snap.
9 Now let's have it-easy at frs
\. Just turn the valve till you hear
hiss!"
. Another silence.
"a "Well, what's the matter? WI
don't you turn the valve?"
"a II am turning 1t, doctor!"
~ "You are? HIM, that's odd; there
a. no gas coming. Throw 1t wide open
II There. 1t won't 60 any further"
i. Say, what the Why, there
% nothing in it! Foley must have Civ
m him an empty
n. IAN empty?"
N Mark appeared In the doorway. H
81 face was the color Of old ivory.
re- Empty, was It? Empty"
re- shouted.
flush! Go back"
r And she's dead-dead?"
Malcolm started toward him. b
the man tossed up his arms a
whirled about and laughed, laughe
- - laughed-screamed:
- ITS an empty one! It's empt
" Ha, ha! What q joke! Ho, no!
- gave me an empty one. and she die
~ Ha, ha, ha! Capital! Cap"
His arms dropped. his head droppe
40 he doubled up like pocket knife q
fell distorted on the carpet.
~ Malcolm jumped to him, knelt ov
10 him, tore open his clothes, put I
ear to the narrow chest.
60 "Hypodermic?" asked the nurse.
ke mo, no, not the slightest use." M
N, colin answered. Cardiac rupture.
ed was stone dead when he struck {
floor"
es "From Hoke smlths.s
ed Senator Hoke Smith Of Georgia }
had babies named after him 80 mum
J." ously and for 80 many years that n
wv his mall 10 interpreted every d
ed with letters from various other He
Smiths. He has his morning %
sc sorted into several classes, which
clude: important" "Unimportan
.rr uota cr,ifha" Ex