The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-03-18

down to wait. Kemp started whiting
to keep himself awake. Since the hour
Of Lieber's confession he had hardly
spoken.
When the cavalcade came within
easy view Gerry stood up and watched.
He could not hide his curiosity like
Lieber and Kemp. In front Of the
horses came four men bearing a sag.
ging hammock on a pole. They were
running in quick, springy steps that
made the hammock sway gently from
side to side. The pace they kept up
under the burden was marvellous.
They were followed closely by eight
horsemen. At the first signs of falter.
ing among the bearers. four Of the
riders would throw Themselves Oh
their ponies and run under the pole.
The change Of relay was made without
a stop, without a pause. The freed
ponies stood with hanging heads and
straddled legs. Even from distance
one could see that the burdened men
had run the wiry little beasts of their
feet. They were all in, but the men
were still erect-keen. With a f,nal
56urt the eortegs drew up before the
veranda. Lieber stood up. Dead OF
dying7" he asked. ~.:.-.~~~.-....
master, we do not know" an.
ewered the oldest of the men, their
leader. ~: go
"Fever or smallpox" asked Lieber.
"Fever."
With a look Of relief Lieber went
down the steps to the hammock. A sheet
had been thrown over the pole to keen
OF the worst Of the sun. He pulled
1t of. A CHASTITY sight met his eyes,
but he did not shrink. Bring him up
here" he said, springing up the steps
and sweeping a saddle harness and
some old magazines of great raw.
hide settle on the veranda.
They laid the sick man on the Settle
and Lieber started to strip him with
gentle, deft hands. Kemp strobe for.
ward and helped but Gerry stood by,
powerless to move. He had recognized
Alan, the man he had sworn to break
II ever he met him. Somebody else
had broken Alan, terribly. pitilessly
Gerry's eyes shrank from the sight. A
lump came into his throat. Alan was
dead. Alan with whom he had wan.
dered barefoot through those quie,
lanes of home, with whom he had
flshed and swum. and once had
fought. What little fury Alan had
been in that boys battle! It had moi
been fought to finish. On one i'm
pulse they had stopped and looked al
each other and turned away, ashamed
to shake hands.
Lieber, once heavy, horid and clum
sy, was transformed. He worked
quickly. with sure hands. The bod,
lay stripped on the settle. Under h
still lay the hammock and dusty blan
kets. The pillows and board hat
been tossed on the floor. Lieber ex
amined his patient infinitely, withou
haste. The spleen was frightfully dis
tended and pushed out across the alb
domen. He could feel it's hard. un
yielding margins. The feet were swol
len. The face was yellow with ID,
sickly gray-yellow IT nodded straw
Coma had set in.
Leber dragged q great medicin,
chest out from his room. With alcoho
he rapidly washed out the dust-6lle'
nostrils Of the stricken man an,
bathed his face and then the limbs AM
body. Then he took out hypodermi
syringe and graduated glass. In tn
glass he dissolved a powder and Wit
steady hands added measured drop
Of liquid Of faint amber hue.
Gerry found his tongue. "What
it7" he asked.
"Quinine and arsenic" said Liebe
shortly.
arsenic? Isn't that dangerous 7
said Gerry.
Lieber glanced at him. 1T will prob
ably kill him."
Then why-why-" protested Ger
~. A great desire to protect wha
was left Of Alan had come over him
'Why" said Lieber dryly, "I'n tel
you, Mr.. Lansing. Because it is les
cowardly to kill a man than to lie
him die.''
He mixed the solution in the syring
and then, grasping Alan's arm, h
pressed it until the veins came out Il
swelling network. "Hoid his arm lIk
that" he commanded Kemp. Ken,
clutched the arm. The bones seeme
to bend to the grip. Lieber chose
swollen vein and pierced it with tn
needle. He forced the dose into tn
blood. "There," he said with smil
to Gerry, that's what's known as al
intravenous administration Of quinn
and arsenic: If another paroxysn
hits him he's done for, but we'll know
all about that in forty-eight hours
Tine"
/ )07 r.