The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1918-01-18

, Of September that Billy Louise got u
in the middle of frosty night becaus
she heard her mother moaning. Tina
was the beginning. She sent John of
before daylight for the doctor, and be
fore the next night she stood with he
lips pressed together and watched tn
doctor count mommie's pulse and TAX
mommie's temperature and drew in he
breath hardly when she saw how Ion,
he studied the thermometer after
ward.
There was month or so of goins
to and fro ON her toes and of watching
the clock with a mind to medicine Civ
| ing. There We're nights and nights an(
nights when the cabin window winket
like star fallen into the coulee from
dusk to red dawn. Ward rode ovel
once, stayed all night and went home
in a silent rage because he could moi
do thing.
There was week Of f1uctuatine
hope and time when the doctor sale
mommie must go to hospital-Boise
since she had friends there. And there
was terrible, nerve racking journey
to the railroad. And when Ward rode
next to the Wolverine ranch there was
no Billy Louise to taunt or tempt him
John Pringle and Phoebe told him In
brief, stolid sentences Of the later de
velopments and gave him a meal anG
offered him bed. which he declined.
When the suspense became madden
ing after that he would ride down tt
the Wolverine for news. And the news
was monOtOnously scant. Phoebe could
read and write after a fashion, anc
Billy Louise sent her letter now anC
then, saying that mommie was about
the same and that she wanted Johr
to do certain things about the ranch
she could not leave mommie, she said
Ward gathered that she would not.
Once when he was at the ranch he
wrote letter to Billy Louise and tol6
her that he would come to Boise ii
there was anything he could do anc
begged her to LET him know if SHE
needed any money. Beyond that ht
worked and worked and tried to GROVE
the lonesomeness out of his days anG
plete bone WEAKNESS. He did not ex
pect an answer to his letter-at leas
he told himself that he did not-bul
one day Phoebe gave him a thin little
letter.
Billy Louise did not write much
She explained that she could only
scribble a line or two while mommit
slept. Mommie was about the same
She did not think there was anything
Ward could do, and she thanked hin
for offering to help. There was moth
ing. she said pathetically. that anybody
could do. Even the doctors did no |
seem able to do much except tell hel |
lies and charge her for them. No; SHIT
did not need any money. THANK yot
just the same, Ward" That was abou
all. 1t did not sound in the least like
Billy Louise.
Ward answered the note then ant
there and called her Wilhemina-mine
which was an awkward name to write
and cost him five minutes of cogitatioI
over the spelling. But he wanted II
down on paper where she could see il
and remember how it sounded when he
said it, even If it did look queer. Far
-her along he started to call her Bill
Loo, but rubbed it out and substituted
Lady Girl with capitals). Altogether
ne did better than he knew, for he
made Billy Louise cry when she read
t, and he made her say Dear Ward
lnder her breath and remember how
lis hair waved over his left temple
ind how he looked when that smile hit
ust behind his lips and his eyes, an6
lie made her forget that she had los
aith in him. She needed to cry, ant
he needed to remember and also t.
orget some things, for life was hard
IulI drab in Boise, with nothing tt
ighten it save a vicarious hope thai
i'd not comfort.
Billy Louise was not stupid She
aw through the vagueness of the doc
Ors, and, besides, she was so hungry
or her hills that she felt like beating
he doctors with her fists because they
id nothing to make her mommie vel
nough to go home. She grew to hate
ne nurse and her neutral cheerfulness
That is how the fall passed for Billy
ouise and the early part Of the win,
,r. 7'--ss,ss--s.'-