The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1918-02-21

oDeyed. She got the WaShbaStn ana
a towel and prepared to bathe his
head. He wanted drink. And when
she held cup to his lips and saw how
greedily he drank, a little sob broke
from her lips. She
gritted her teeth after 1t and forced
q laugh.
You're sure hard drlnker," 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 1 got gay and thought l could
handle myself again, put myself out
of business for a while, and caught
this cold before l came to and crawled
back into bed. Tm-sure glad you
showed up, old girl. 1 was-getting up
against it for fair" He coughed.
Looks Ike it." Billy Louise held
herself rlgidly back from any emo
tional expression. She could not af-
ford to Ego to pieces" now. She tried
to think just what a trained nurse
would do, in such a case. Her hospi-
tai experience would be Of some use
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 cheerfuIly, "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
as he was, he realized the gameness
of Billy Louise; what he failed to real
Ize was the gameness of himself. 'T'm
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 a hunch. How would you like a
cup of tea, patient?"
"Td 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 don't make
it very strong and put in lots of
cream Well take chance, bucka-
roo"
"How much sugar, patient" Billy
Louise turned toward I'm with the to-
mato can sugar bowl in her hands.
"None. I want to taste the coffee.
this trip"
"Oh. all right! It's the worst thing
you could think of. but that's the way
with patient. Patients always want
what they mustn't have"
"Sure-get it, too" Ward spoke be-
tween long, satisfying gulps. Flows
your other patient, WilhelminaH How's
mommie?"
"Oh, Ward! She's dead-mommie'
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 mutteri" IS
warned her that she must pull herself
together.
"You be s-still," she commanded
brokenly, fighting for her former safe
cheerfulness. I'm all right. Pity
yourself, If you've got to pity some
body. I-can 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 it 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 good sweat" she decided. "Got
any ginger"
II dunno. I guess not" Ward NUT
tered confusedly.
swell, I'll 60 out 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 was 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 ope-Oh,
Ward, it isn't" She knelt and curved
an arm around his face and kissed
him again and vet 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
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neonle homeless. Rarely has the eartI