Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-02-08
this trip"

-
with a patient. Patients always want
what they mustn't have"
"Sure-get it, too.'' Ward spoke be-
tween long, satisfying gulps. "How's
your other patient, Wilhelmina? How's
mommie?"
ooh, Wardl She's dead-mommie's
dead" Billy Louise broke down un-
expectedly and completely. She went
down on her knees beside the bed and
cried as she had not cried since she
looked the last time at mommie's still
face, held in that terrifying calm. She
cried until Wards excited mutterings
warned her that she must pull herself
together.
"You be ~s-still," she commanded
brokenly, fighting for her former safe
cheerfulness. "Tm all right. Pity
yourself, if you've got to pity m
body. lean stand-my trouble. I
haven't got any broken leg and
hookin' cough She managed a laugh
then and took Wards hand from her
hair and laid 1t down on the blankets.
"Now we won't talk about things any
more. You've got to have something
done for that cold on your lungs" She
rose and stood looking down at him
with puckered eyebrows.
"Mommie would say you ought to
have a good sweat" she decided. SCOT
any gingerY'
81 dunno. 1 guess not" Ward NUT
tered confusedly.
well, I'll go put and find some sage,
then, and give you sage tea. That's
another cure-all."
She did not spend all her time pick
ing sage twigs. A bush grew at the
corner of the cabin within easy reach.
She went first down to the stable and
led Blue inside and ~unsaddled him.
Ward vas lying quiet when she went
in, except that he was waving her
handkerchief to and fro by the cor
ners to cool it. Billy Louise took it
from him, wet it again with cold water,
and scolded him for getting his arms
from under the covers. That, she said,
was no nice way for a hookin'-cough
man to do.
Ward meekly submitted to being COW
cred to his eyes,. Then he wriggled his
chin free and demanded that she kiss
him. Ward was fairly drunk with hap
piness because she was there, In the
cabin.
Ward Warren, you're a perfectly
awful hookin'-cough mani There. Now
that's going to be the only one-Oh,
Ward, 1t isn'tl" She knelt and curved
an arm around his face and kissed
him again and yet again. II do love
you, Ward. I've been a weakened,
horrid 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-horrid; and I'll
have to love you about a million years
before I can quit feeling ashamed"
She kissed him again with a passion
of remorse for her doubts of him.
"Are you through being pals, Will
helmina?" 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 stifed another cough. when
are you going to marry me?"
"Oh, when you get over the hookin'
cough, I s'pose." Once more Billy Lou
Use, for the good of her patient, forced
herself into safe fiippancy-that was
noA AInnon& Of oil hTrf vonro1u a fopdar
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 l 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 cupful. Then she tore up a wooden
I uuueTSHlrI she lOuHu HdlSlnS Oh u
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 a smoothly Wig
orous palm. "Thatll fix the hookin'
cough she said. as she spread the
warm layers of wooden cloth smoothly
from shoulder to shoulder. How does
1t feel?'
"Great," he assured her succinctly,
and wisely omitted any love making.
"Will your game leg let you turn