The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1918-01-17
CHAPTER VI-continued.

CHAPTER Vl-Continued.
s.
Tell John to saddle up and go Tor
the doctor, Phoebe, and don't let mom-
mie know whatever you do. This isn't
her lumbago at all. l don't know what
it is. / wonder if a hot turpentine
cloth wouldn't be better than this? I've
a good mind to try it; her eyes are
CLASSY with fever and her skin is cold
as a fish. You tell John to hurry up.
He can ride Boxer. Tell him l want
him to get a doctor here by tomorrow
noon If he has to kill his horse do
ing It,"
That night took its toll Of Billy
Louise and left scared place in her
memory. 1t was n night of swapping
fire in the cook stove that hot water
might be always ready; of tireless
struggle with the pain that came and
tortured retired sullenly from Billy
Louse's stubborn fighting with poul-
tices and turpentine cloths and every
holely remedy she had ever heard OF,
ana came again just when she thought
she had won the fight
There was no time to give thought to
the trouble that had ridden home with
heT though It's presence was like a
black shadow behind her while she
worked and went to and fro between
bedroom and kitchen and fought that
tearing pain.
She met the dawn hollow eyed and
80 tired she could not worry very much
about anything Her mother slept un-
easily to prove that the battle had not
gone altogether against the girl who
had fought the night through. She had
her reward in full measure when the
doctor came, in the heat Of noon, and
after terrible minutes of suspense for
Billy Louise while he counted pulse
and took temperature and studied
symptoms, told her that she had done
we'll and that she and her homely poul-
tiCes had held back tragedy from that
house.
Billy Louise lay down upon the couch
out on the back porch and slept heav-
ily for three hours, while Phoebe and
the doctor watched over her mother.
She woke with a start She had been
dreaming, and the dream had taken
from her cheeks what little color her
night vigil had left. She had dreamed
that Ward was i'll danger, that men
were hunting him for what he had done
at that corral The corral seemed the
center of fight between Ward and the
men. She dreamed that he came tO
her and that she must hide him away
and save him. But though she took
him to a cave, which was secret enough
for her purpose, yet she could not fec
that he was safe even there. There
was something-SCme menace.
Billy Louise went softly into thu
house. tiptoed to the door of her moth
er's room and saw that she lay quiet
with her eyes closed. Beside the win
dow the doctor sat with his spectaClc'
far down toward the end of his nose
reading a pale green pamphlet that HI
must have brought in his pocket. PhOe
he was down by the creek washing
clothes in the shade Of willow Clump.
She went into her own room, still
walking on her toes. In her trunk Wa
a blue plush box of the kind that i
given to one at Christmas 1t was fad
ed and the clasp was showing brass.
at the edges. Sitting upon her bed witt
the box in her lap Billy Louise paweC
hastily in the jumble of keepsakeS i
held: an eagles claw which she mean
some time to have mounted for
brooch: three or four arrOwheadS o
the shiny. black stuff which the Indian
were said to have brought from Vel
lowstone park; a knot of green ribbol
which she had worn to a St Patrick
day dance in Boise; rattlesnake rattle
of all sizes; sev ,ral folded clippings
verses that had caught her fancy AM
had been put away and forgotten; a
amber bead she had found once. Sh
turned the box upside down in her la
and shook it. 1t must be there-th
thing she sought, the thing that ha
troubled her most in her dream; tn
thing that was menace while 1t eN
listed. 1t was at the very bottom c
the box, caught in corner. She too
It out with fingers that trembled, crun
pled it into a little ball so that Sh
could not read what 1t said, straight
ened it Immediately and read it rt
luctantly from the beginning to the Ell
where the last word was clipped ShOI
with hasty scissors. A paragraph GU
from newspaper it was; yellow an
Irayed from contact with other objects
telling of things
Billy Louise bit her lips until the
hurt, but she could not keep back tn
tears that came hot and stinging Will
she read. She slid the little heap {
odds and ends to the middle Of the bet
crushed the clipping into her palm an
went out stealthily into the immaculat
kitchen. AS IL she were being spie
upon she went cautiously to the stow
lifted a lid and dropped the clipping
where the wood hlazed the hriGhteS
She watched 1t flare and become notl
inI--not even a pinch of ash ~; tn
chipping was not very large. When
was gone she nut The ." 'acE an
wen. ,;inring tn n" @'tt hen sh
ran.
phocEc was down by he creek, i
Billy Ioulse went to the stabl