Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-02-05
CHAPTER XII.
The Brave Ruckaroo,

The Brave 5uckaroo,
Boise, Ida, rps- &C.
Brave buckaroo-I wonder IL yeu ever
In your whole life got a Christmas pres
emit! I've been cultivating the Louise Of
me. and here are the first fruits OF my
endeavor-I guess that's the way they say
IT, I've spent so much time sitting by
mommie when she's asleep and / get tired
OF reading all the time so a nurse in this
Ward-mominie has a room to herself, of
coarse, but not a special nurse because
can do lot of the little things. Well.
the nurse taught me how to hemstitch
SO | got some silk and made some nice
soft observation-disclosures for you and one
for me.
This one | made last / didn't want
your eagle eyes seeing all the bobby
stitches on the first one / hope you like
1t. Ward. Every stitch stands for q
thought of the hills and our good times.
I've brought Minervy back to life, and /
try to- play my old pretends sometimes.
But they always break up into pieces. I'm
not Kid now. you see. And life is lot
different when you get out into it, isn't It +?
Mommie doesn't seem to get much bet
ter. I'm worried about her. She seems
to have let go. somehow. She never talks
about the ranch much or even worries
about whether Phoebe is keeping the win
dows washed. She talks about when she
daddy were first married. 1t gets on my
nerves to see how she has slipped out OF
everyday life. The nurse says that's COM
mon, though, in sickness. She says !
could go home and look after things for
a week or so Just as well as not She
says mommie would be all right. But !
hate to leave her.
I'm awfully homesick for a good old ride
on Blue l miss him terribly. Have you
seen anything of the cove folks lately ?
Seems like I'm clear out Of the world.
hate town, anyway, and a hospital Is the
limit for dismalness. Even the Louise of
me is getting ready to do something aw-
full If have to stay much longer. Nom
mic sleeps most of the time. l believe they
dope her with something. She doesn
have that awful pain so bad. So don't
have anything to do but sit around and
read and sew and wait for her to wake
up and want something.
And this is Christmas almost. / won
der what you'll be doing. Say, Ward. II
you want to be a perfect jewel of man
send me some of that jerlky you've got
hanging at the head of your bunk.
swiped some that last time l was there.
1t would taste mighty good to me now,
| after all this hospital truck.
! Well, a merry Christmas, Pal-o'-mine,
and here's hoping you and mommie and
! I will be eating turkey together at the
Wolverine when next Christmas comes.
Nummy-num! Wouldn't that taste good
/ though?
Now remember and write a whole tablet
| full to BILLY LOUISE.
Phoebe put that letter on the mante'
over the fireplace the day after Christ
mas.
Billy Louise refrained from expect
ing any reply until after New Years
| then, she began 10 look for a letter
and when the days passed and brought
her no word her moods changed often.
err than the weather.
Wards literary efforts along about
that time consisted of cutting notches
in the window sill beside his bunk.
| On the day when the stage driver
gave Billy Louise's letter to Phoebe
! Ward cut deeper, wider notch, think.
| ing that day was Christmas. Under
the notch he scratched a word with
the point of his knife. 1t had -four
letters, and it told eloQuently of the
state of mind he was in
The letter gathered dust upon the
mPntel down ct the Wolverine. When
/ the pOstmark was more than two
weeks old another letter came, and
! Phoebe laid it on the first one with
| fingers that trembled a little. Phoebe
had letter of her own that day. Both
| were thin, and the addresses were more
scrawly than usual. Phoebe's Indian
| instinct warned her that something
was amisS.
This was Wards letter:
Oh. God, Ward, mommie's dead. She
died last night. 1 thought she was asleeI
till the nurse came in at o'clock. I'm
all alone and don't know what to do
wish you could come, but if you don't get
this right away, I'll see you at the ranch
| I'm coming home as soon as / can. Oh
Ward. 1 hate life and everything.
BILLY LOUISE
! Please Ward, stay at the ranch till
| come. l want to see you. / feel as il
you're the only friend I've got left, now
mommie's gone. She looked so peaceful
when they took her away-and so strange
didn't belong to her any more. l felt
as If 1 didn't know her at all-and there
is such an awful gap in my life-maybe
you'll understand. You always do.
The day that letter was written
Ward drew a plan Of The house he
meant to build some day, with a wide
porch on the front, where a hammock
would swing comfortably.
He had no presentiment of Billy's
need of him, which was just as well
since he was absolutely powerless tC
help her.
| Billy Louise, having arrived unex
pectedly ON the stage, pulled off hel
fur lined mittens and put her chilled
hands befor the swapping blaze in the
fireplace. Her eyes were tired and
sunken, and her mouth dropped pitt
fully at the corners, but aside from