Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1916-01-18
CHAPTER XVII.
THROUGH the Portal Of Dreams.

'
self whether, at that time, any mean
thought entered my mind as to the
possibilities which might open for
me if Weighborne died.
set it down in justification, though
1t may rather be attributable to the
excitement of the moment than to in,
herent guilelessness, that that phase
of the matter did not occur to me. Had
/ entertained such speculations they
must have been shortlived, for when
We arrived at the cabin and made an
examination, and when later, by re.
layed telephone messages, we brought
the doctor. it was to learn that the
patient would have to lie in bed for
perhaps week or two, but need fear
no grave consequences.
His wound had narrowly missed the
heart, but the margin was sufficient.
NV own injury proved to be mere
flesh scratch, and bandage did for
it all that was needful.
was rather surprised at the almost
lethargic calmness with which the
household greeted our disordered
home coming. Preparations for sup.
per went on with little interruption.
There was no excited demand from
those who had stayed at home for the
full story, and evens the children
seemed uninquisitive.
Only the aged woman showed a flash
Of unexpected IRE as she demanded:
"Didn't We git nary one of them?"
1--WE got Rat-Ankle," drawled an ,iIl.
shaven lout, with revolving note Of
placid satisfaction.
"That's better'n not gettin' nary
one,a commented the old woman. Her
voice revealed the hereditary source
Of Marcus's ability for sincere hating.
When Weighborne recovered con.
sciousness he spoke to mo once more
Of his wife. He wss afraid that an
exaggerated report of the affair would
leak through to the Lexington papers,
and he wished to allay her anxiety.
The duty of this reinsurance de-
yolyed on me, lint the complicated sys-
tenn of telephoning spared me the tor.
ture Of felicitating her. The mes
sage was relayed through disinterest.
ed voices before it reached her ears.
AS it eventuated, Weighborne's pre-
caution was a wise one. since the
news filtered that same night tn a
newspaper correspondent at the rail
road town. This scribe so we'll util.
lied this information that the papers
Of the next morning carried scare
heads over a story Of bloodshed and
massacre which accorded to both OF
us desperate wounds and ludicrously
lauded us as heroes.
It cannot be said for Weighborne
that he proved a docile patient. He
had all the energetic mans aversion
to inactive days in bed, and he greatly
preferred, il he must submit to such
an exigency, that 1t be in his own bed
and among more plentiful convenient
ces than could be afforded here But
to move him over twenty scmiperpen.
dicular miles was pronounced, imposst.
BILE, and to that decree he had 10 sub.
NIT.
/, who despite my newspaper peril
was not even bedridden, continued
the daily rides to tracts marked tor
inspection, and discussed the days
work with him in the evening. These
tours were not interrupted except by
the one day when Marcus and his cav
alcade rode stoically into town and
gave bond to the examining couft to
answer for the killing Of "Rat-AuklS"
Garley.
Weighborne had some temperature,
and was often restless on his mat
tress of corn shucks, though his ami.
ability held steady.l One evening, sew.
eral days after our ambuscade, / was
sitting alone and morose before the
open hearth while he slept. Since
our apartment had been sick room
the evening gatherings had been sus.
pended, and had companionship only
from my pipe and thoughts.
The thoughts were not CHEEKY com.
rades tonight. They went back with
a brutal sort OF insis!ence to the island
and the things which had there taken
root to grow with the rank and law
less swiftness Of the tropics. e
At length I slipped out and stood
for while leaning against post Of
the porch, although the air was sharp
with frost and the stars pierced colby
through the hard steel of a winter
sky. My other skies had been softer.
The mountains, under rising moon,
stood out black and forbidding; frost
mists hung like frozen smoke on the
lowlands. From somewhere about the
house came the nasal singing of =
mountaineer to the accompaniment Of
banjo.
His voice rose and quavered and fell
with more care that HIS words be dis
tinct than that his notes be true. He
had chosen song composed by 10
cal bard, and as / stood gazing off
across the sea Of moonlight and mist
he alone tortured the Silence.