The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1918-02-01

ners TO cool 1t. Billy Louise took II
from him, wet II again with cold water,
and scolded him for getting his arms
from under the covers. That, she said,
was no nice way for a hooklncough
man TO do.
Ward meekly submitted to being GOV.
cred to his eyes. Then he wrlggled his
chin free and demanded that she kiss
him. Ward was fairly drunk with hap
plness because she was there, In the
cabin.
Ward Warren, you're perfectly
awful hookin'-cough man There. Now
that's going to be the only one-Oh,
Ward, II isn'tw She knelt and curved
an arm around his face and kissed
him again and yet again. 81 do love
you, Ward. I've been a weak-kneed,
horrld thing, and I'm ashamed to the
middle Of my bones. You're my own
brave buckaroO always - always
You've done what no other man would
do, and you don't whine about It and
I've been weak and-horrld; and I'll
have to love you about million years
before ] can quit feeling ashamed"
She kissed him again with a passion
Of remorse for her doubts of him.
"Are you through being pals, Will
helminaT" Ward broke rules and freed
an arm, so that he could hold her
closer.
"No, I'm just beginning. Just be-
ginning right. I'm your pal for keeps.
But"
81 love you for keeps lady mine"
Ward stihed another cough. "When
are you going to marry me?"
"Oh, when you get over the hookin'
cough, s'pose." Once more Billy Lou
ise, for the good of her patient, forced
herself into safe flippancy-that was
not fippant at ALL but merely a tender
pretense.
"Now it's up to you to show me
whether you are in any hurry at all
to get WELL" she said. "Keep your
hands under the covers while 1 make
some tea. That fever of yours has got
to be stopped immediately-to once"
She went over and busted herself
about the stove never once looking
toward the bed, though she must have
felt Wards eyes worshipping her.
She hunted through the cupboards
and found a bottle of turpentine; sir
upy and yellOwed with age, but pun
gent with strength. She found some
lard in a small bucket and melted half
a eupful. Then she tore up woolen
undershirt she found hanging on a
nail and bore relentlessly down upon
him.
"You gotta be creased all over your
lungs" she announced with a matter
of-factness that cost her something;
for Billy Louise's innate modesty was
only just topped by her good sense.
Ward submitted without protest
while she barred his chest and applied
the warm mixture with smoothly Wig
orous palm. "That'll fix the hookin'
cough" she said, as she spread the
warm layers of wooden cloth smoothly
from shoulder to shoulder. "How does
it feel?"
"Great," he assured her succinctly,
and wisely omitted any love making.
"Will your game leg let you turn
over? Because there's some dope left,
and it ought to go between your shoul-
ders."
"The game leg ought to stand more
than that" he told her, turning slowly.
'If I hadn't got this cold tackled onto
me, I'd have been trying to walk on it
by now"
Better give 1t time-since you've
been game enough to lie here all this
while and take care of it. I don't be-
lieve I'd have had nerve enough for
that, Ward" She poured turpentine
and lard into her palm, reached inside
his collar and rubbed it on his shoul-
ders. Good thing you had plenty Of
grub handy. But it must have been
awful!'
'It was pretty 4nesome," he admit
ted laconically, and that was as far
as his complainings went.
Billy Louise then poured the water
off the sage leaves she had been brew
ing in tin basin, carefully fished out |
a stem or two, and made Ward drink |
every bitter drop. Then she covered |
him to the eyes and hardened her heart |
against his discomfort while she kept
the handkerchief cool on his head and
between times swept the floor with n
dampened broom and wiped
the dust off things and restored the
room to it's most cheerful atmosphere
Of livableness.
CTO BE CONTINUED.)