The Arizona copper camp., 1918-01-19


pose you've been having all kinds of
disasters happening to me-" She was
passing her fingers soothingly over her
mothers forehead while she explained
and she saw that her mother did not
moan so much as when she came into
the room.
"Of course I worried. I wish you
wouldn't take them long rides. Oh, I
guess it's lumbago- -mostly-but seems
be mostly in my side" She stirred
restlessly and moaned again.
"What's Phoebe been doing for it?
You don't seem to have any fever,
mommie-and that's good thing. I'll
go fix you one of those dandy spice
poultices. Had any supper, mommie"
"Oh, couldn't eat. Phoebe made
hop poultice, but it's awful soppy."
"Well, never mind. Your dear daugh-
ter is on the job now. She'll have you
all comfy in just about two minutes
Headache, mum? All right, I'll just
shake up your pilly and bring you such
a dandy spice poultice expect you'll
want to eat itw Billy Louise's voice
was soft and had a broody sweetness
when she wished it so, that soothed
more than medicine. Her mothers eyes
closed wearily while the girl talked;
the muscles Of her face relaxed little
from their look Of pain.
Billy Louise bent and laid her lips
lightly on her mothers cheek. "Poor
old mommie! I'd have come home
a-running if I'd known she was sick
and had to have nasty, soppy stuff"
In the kitchen a very, different Billy
Louise measured spices and asked a
question now and then in a whisper and
breathed with repressed unevenness
which betrayed the strain she was un-
der.
"Tell John to saddle up and go for
the doctor, Phoebe, and dOn't.let NOM
mie know whatever you do. This isn't
her lumbago at ALL I don't know what
it is. I wonder if 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 want
him to get a doctor here by tomorrow
noon if he has to kill his horse do
ing it,
That night took it's toll Of Billy
Louise and left a scared place in her
memory. It was 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
Louise's stubborn fighting with poul-
tees and turpentine cloths and every
homely remedy she had ever heard of,
and 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
her, though its 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
so 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
well 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-
lily for three hours, while Phoebe and
the doctor watched over her mother.
She woke with 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 in 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 cave, which was secret enough
for her purpose, yet she could not feel
that he was safe even there. There
was something-some menace.
Billy Louise went softly into the
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 spectacles
far down toward the end Of his nose,
reading a pale green pamphlet that he
must have brought in his pocket. Phoe-
be 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 was
a blue plush box of the kind that is
given to one at Christmas. 1t was fad
ed and the clasp was showing brassy
at the edges. Sitting upon her bed with
the box in her lap Billy Louise paved
hastily in the tumble of keepsakes it
held; an eagles claw which she meant
some time to have mounted for a
brooch; three or four arrowheads Of
the shiny, black stuff which the Indians
were said to have brought from Yel
lowstOne park; a knot Of green ribbon
which she had worn to a st. Patrick's
day dance in Boise; rattlesnake rattles
Of all sizes; several folded clippings
verses that had caught her fancy and
had been put away and forgotten; an
amber bead she had found once. She
turned the box upside down in her lap
and shook it. It must be there-the
thing she sought, the thing that had
troubled her most in her dream: the