The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1918-01-18

OH hRulllSl IuChi Ht lulhNht AAN 'h''A
his head over the thought Of riding iif-
teen miles with those broken bones
grinding their edges together. And
still, what else could he do?
He reached out, took the reihs and
led Rather n step nearer so that he
could grasp the stirrup. With his voice
he held the horse quiet while he pulled
himself upright upon his good leg.
Then, with pain hurried, jerky move
ments he pulled off the saddle, glanced
around him and flung It behind bucA
brush. He slipped Off the bride, flung
that after the saddle and gave Rattler
Il slap on the rump. The horse moved
away and Ward stared after him with
set lips. Anyway, you can look after
yourself" he said, and balanced upon
his right leg while he swung around
and faced the cabin. 1t was not far
to nan with two sound legs. A hun
dred yards, pc haps.
Ward crawled there on his hands and
one knee dragging the broken leg &fter
him. 1t was not nice experience, but
it served one good purpOse-it wiped
from his mind all thought of that black
past wherein Buck had figured so
shamefully. He had enough to think of
with his present plight, without wor-
rying over the past.
In half an hour or so Ward rested his
arms upon his own doorstep and drop
ped his perspiring face upon them. He
lay there long while in dead faint.
After awhile he moved, lifted his
head and looked about him duly at first
and then with certain stOical accept
ance of his plight. He looked into the
immediate future and tried to forecast
its demands upon his strength and to
prepare for them. He crawled farther
up on the step, reached the latch and
opened the door. He crawled in, pulled
himself up by the foot Of his bunk and
sat down weakly with his head in his
hands. Like a hurt animal, he had
obeyed his instinct and had crawled
home.
His eyes went slowly around the cab
in, measuring his resources and his
needs and limitations. He pulled his
one chair toward him-the chair which
Buck Olney had occupied so unwilling
ly-and placed his left knee upon it.
He managed to reach the cupboard
where he kept his dishes, and took down
a bottle of liniment and box of car
bolized vaseline which he happened to
have He was near the two big zinc
water pals which he had filled that
morning just to show Buck Olney how
cool he was over his capture and he
bethought him that water was going to
be precious in the next few weeks
He lifted down one pail and swung
it forward as far as he could and set
it on the floor ahead Of him. Then he
swung the other pail beside it. Pain
fully he hitched his chair alongside,
lifted the pals and set them forward
again. He did that twice and got them
beside his bunk. He went back and in
spected the teakettle, found it half full
and carried that also beside the BUNK.
Then he rested awhile.
Bandages! Well, there was a new
flour sack hanging on nail. He stood
up, leaned and got it, and while he
was standing he reached for the cigar
box, where he kept his bachelor sewing
Outfit-two spOOls of very coarse thread,
some large eyed needles to carry it, an
assortment Of buttons and pair or
scissors. He cut the flour sack into
strips and sewed the strips together;
his stitches were neater than you might
think
When the bandage was long enough
he rolled it as he had seen doctors do,
and fished some pins out of the cigar
box and laid them where he could get
his fingers on them quickly. He stood
up again, reached across to box OF
canned milk and pried off the lid. I'm
liable to need you, too he muttered
to the rows of cans. and pulled the box
close. He took Buck Olney's knife and
whitfield some very creditabe splints
from the thin boards and rummaged in
his "warbag" under the bunk for hand
kerchiefs with which to wrap the
splints.
When he had done all that he could
do to prepare for the long siege Of pain
and helplessness ahead of him he NOV
ed along the bunk until he was sitting
near the head of it with his broken leg
extended before him and took last
look to make sure that everything was
ready. He felt his gun at his hip, re-
moved belt and all and threw 1t back
upon the bed. Then he turned his he"d
and stared, frowning, at the black butt
where it protruded from the holster
suggestively ready to his hand. He
reached out and took the gun, turned 1t
over and hesitated. No telling what in
sane impulse fever might bring upon
bim-and still-no telling what Buck
Olney might do when he discovered
that he was not in any immediate dan
ger of hanging.
Then he removed his boots by the
simple method of Sitting the legs with
Bucks knife barred his broken leg in
the same manner, braced himself men
tally and physically, gritted his teeth
and went doggedly to work.
A man never knows just how much
he can endure or what he can do until
he is making his last stand in the fight
for self preservation. Ward had no
mind to lie there and die Of blood poi
soning, for instance, and broken bones
do not set themselves. So, sweating
and swearing with the agony Of 1t, he
set his leg and bound the splints in
place and thanked the Lord it was a
straight, clean break and that the flesh
was not torn.
Then he dropped back upon the bed
and didn't care whether he lived or not.
Followed days Of fever, through which
Ward lived crazily and lost count Of the