Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-02-19

mime assurance of her hold on him,
more than her courage, kept her nerves
fairly steady. She bit the pencil alb
sently, watching him.
Ward turned his head restiessly on
the pillow and coughed again. Billy
Louise got up quietly, went close to
the bed, and laid her hand on his fore
head. His head was hot, and the veins
were swollen and throbbing on his
temples.
Brave Buckaroo got a headache ~
she queried softly, stroking his tenn
pies soothingly. SCOT the hookin'-
cough. too. Got every measly thing he
can think of. Even got crouch against
the Flower of the Ranch-oh!" Her
voice was crooningly soft and sweet,
as if she were murmuring over a sleepy
baby.
Ward closed his eyes. opened them.
and looked up into her face. One
hand came up uncertainty and caught
her fingers closely. "Wilhelmina-
mine" he said in his hoarse voice.
His eyes cleared to sanity under her
touch.
Billy Louise drew a small sigh of re-
lief and reached unobtrusively with
her free hand for the gun. She slid
1t down away from his fingers, and
when he still paid no attention, she
picked it up quite openly and laid it
against the footboard. Ward did not
say anything. He seemed altogether
occupied with the amazing reality of
her presence.
you've got a terrible cold; and from
the looks of things, you've had it for
about six months" said Billy Louise.
Her eyes went COMPREHENSIVE about
that end of the cabin, with the de-
pleted cracker box, the half-emptied
boxes of peaches and tomatoes, and
the buckets that were all but empty
of water. She was shocked at the pitt
full evidence of long helplessness. She
did not quite understand. Surely
Wards cold had not kept him in bed
so long.
"Well, this is no time for mirth or
laughter" she said briskly, to hide how
close she was to hysteria. "Since 1t
looks very much like the morning
after First, we've got to tackle that
fever of yours" She picked up a
water pail and started for the door.
AS she passed the foot of the bunk.
she confscated the two revolvers and
took them outside with her. She had
no desire to be mistaken again for
Buck Olney.
When she came back Wards eyes
in bed and glared at her Billy Lou
Use laughed at him and told him to lie
down like a nice buckaroO, and Ward,
recalled to himself by her voice,
obeyed. She got the washbasin and
a towel and prepared to battle his
head. He wanted drink. And when
she held a cup to his lips and saw how
greedily he drank, a little sob broke
Unexpectedly from her lips. She
gritted her teeth after it and forced
a laugh.
you're sure a hard drinker," she
bantered and wet her handkerchief to
lay on his brow
THAT'S the first decent drink I've
had for a MONTH" he told her, drop
ping back to the pillow, refreshed to
the point of clear thinking. "Old Lady
Fortunes still playing football with
me, William. I've been laid up with
a broken leg for about six weeks. And
when l got gay and thought / could
handle myself again, 1 put myself out
of business for while, and caught
this cold before came to and crawled
back into bed. Fm-sure glad you
showed up, old girl. was-getting up
against it for fair" He coughed.
Looks like it." Billy Louise held
herself rigidly back from any emo
tional expression. She could not af-
ford to 'go to pieces" now. She tried
to think just what a trained nurse
would do, in such case. Her hospl-
here, she told herself. She remem-
bered reading somewhere that no ex-
perience is valueless, if one only ap-
plies the knowledge gained.
First" she said cheerfully, "the pa
tient must be kept quiet and cheerful.
So don't go jumping up and down on
your broken leg, Ward Warren; the
nurse forbids it. And smile, if it kills
YOU"
Ward grinned appreciatively. Sick
hn hn
of Billy Louise; what he failed to real
ize was the gameness of himself. I'm
a pretty worthless specimen right
now" he said apologetically But I'm
yours TO command, Bill-the-Conk.
You're the doctor"
Nope, I'm the cook, right now. I've
got bunch. How would you like a
cup of tea, patientT'
'I'd rather have coffee-Doctor Will
liam"
''Tea. you mean. I'll have it ready
in ten minutes" Then she weakened
before his imploring eyes. You really
oughtn't TO drink coffee. with that fe-
yer, Ward. But, maybe If l don't make
1t very strong and put in lots of
Wen take a chance, bScka-
roo!"
How much sugar. patient?" Billy
Louise turned toward him with the to-
mato can sugar bowl in her hands.
"None. I want TO taste the coffee.
this trip"
ooh. all right It's the worst thing
you could think of. but that's the way
with a patient. Patients always want
what they mustn't have"
"Sure-get IL. too" Ward spoke be-
tween long. satisfying gulps "How's
your other patient. Wilhelmina? How's
'Ch. Ward! She's dead-mommie's
dead" Billy Louise broke down I'M
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