The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1917-05-18

bed she rose bolt upright. -Now she
his arm off !"
The surgeon met her rebellion tact
fully. But he told Nan, at last, that
De Spain must lose either his arm or
his life. "No," she repeated without
hesitation and without blanching, "you
shan't take off his arm. He shan't lose
his life."
The blood surged into her checks
better blood and redder than the doc
tors had been able to bring there-such
blood as De Spain alone could call into
them. Nan, with her nurses help,
dressed, joined De Spain, and talked
long and earnestly. The doctors, too,
laid the situation before him. When
they asked him for his decision, he
nodded toward Nan. "She will tell
you, gentlemen, what we'll do"
And Nan did tell them what the two
who had most at stake In the decision
would do Any man could have done
as much as that. But Nan did more.
She set herself out to save the arm
and patient both, and, lest the doctors
should change their tactics and move
together on the arm surreptitiously,
Nan stayed night and day with De
Spain, until he was able to make such
active use Of either arm as to convince
her that he and not the surgeons would
soon need the most watching.
Afterward when Nan, in some doubt,
asked the chaplain whether she was
married or single, he obligingly offered
to ratify and confirm the desert cere.
mony.
This affair was the occasion for an
extraordinary roundup at Sleepy Cat.
Two long-hostile elements-the stage
and railroad men and the Calabasas.
Morgan gap contingent of mountain
men, for once at least, fraternized.
Warrants were pigeonholed, suspicion
suspended, sidearms neglected in their
scabbards. The fighting men of both
camps, In the presence of ceremony
that united De Spain and Nan Morgan,
could not but feel generous elation
Each party considered that 1t was con.
tributing to the festivity in the bride
and groom and the very best each
could boast, and no false note dis
turbed the harmony of the notable
day.
Gale Morgan, having given up the
fight, had left the country. Satterlee
Morgan danced till all the platforms In
town gave way. John Lefever attend
ed the groom, and Duke Morgan stern
ly but without conjunction, gave the
bride. From Medicine Bend, Farrell
Kennedy brought a notable company
of De SPANS early associates for the
event. 1t included Whispering Smith
whose visit to Sleepy Cat on this &C
casion was the first in years; George
McCloud, who had come all the way
in arms; Wickwire, who had lost none
of his taciturn bluntness-and so many
train dispatchers that the service or
the division was crippled for the entire
day.
A great company of self-appointet
retainers gathered together from over
all the country, rode behind the gayly
decorated bridal coach in procession
from the church to Jeffries' house
where the feasts had been prepared
During the reception a modest man
dragged from an obscure corner among
the guests, was made to take his place
next Lefever on the receiving line. II
was Bob Scott, and he looked most un
comfortable until he found a chance
to slip unobserved back to the sid,
of the room where the distinguished
Medicine Bend contingent, together
with McAlpin, Pardaloe, Elpaso ant
Bull Page, slightly unsteady but ex
tremely serious for the grave occasion
appeared vastly uncomfortable to
gether.
The railroad has not yet been bull
across the sinks to Thief River. Blu
only those who lived In Sleepy Cat IL
its really wild stage days are entitled
to call themselves early settlers, or tt
tell stories more or less authentic
about what then happened. The great
er number of the Old Guard of that
day, as cankering peace gradually re.
asserted itself along the sinks, turned
from the stage coach to the railroad
coach; some of them may yet be met
on the trains In the mountain country.
Wherever you happen to find such
one, he will tell you Of the days when
/ Superintendent de Spain of the West.
ern division wore a gun in the noun.
tains and used II, when necessary, on
his wife's relations.
Whether 1t was this stern sense OF
discipline or not that endeared him to
the men, these old-timers are, to
man, very loyal to the young couple
who united In their marriage the two
hostile mountain elements. One IN
especial, white-haired old man, de-