Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-07-12

enough TO nuft ler! PornapS Qef lem
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 restlessly 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 headache?"
she queried softly, stroking his tenn
pies soothingly. "Got 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 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
it down away from his fingers, ana
when he still paid no attention, size
picked it up quite openly and laid it
against the footboard. Ward did not
say anything. He seemed altogether
ooo,,n;od xr-;fl, fbot oroo1irpr Tnal@fU Of
her presence.
you've got a terrible cold; AID from
the looks of things, you've bsd it for
about six months,' said big Louise.
Her eyes went comprehensjsely about
that end of the cabin, with the de-
pleted cracker box, the dalf-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 hdplessness. She
did not quite Understand. Surely
Wards cold had net 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 it
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 confiscated 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
were wild again, and he started up
in bed and glared at her. Billy Lou
Use laughed at him and told him to lie
down like nice buckaroo, and Ward,
recalled to himself by her voice,
obeyed. She got the washbasin and
a towel and prepared TO bathe 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 tC
the point of clear thinking. "Old Lady
Fortunes still playing football with
me, William. I've been laid up witt
broken leg for about six weeks. Ant
when / got gay and thought l could
handle myself again, l put myself Ou
of business for q while, and caugh
this cold before came to and crawle(
back into bed Pm-sure glad yol
showed up, old girl. was-getting NJ
against it for fair" He coughed.
'Looks like it." Billy Louise hell
herself rigidly back from any emo
, tional expression. She could not af
ford to "go to pieces" now. She triet
to think just what trained nurs
! would do, in such a case. Her hOspi
| tai experience would be of. some us
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 o.
your broken leg, Ward Warren; tn
nurse forbids it. And smile, if it kill
you"
Ward grinned appreciatively. Sic
as he was, he realized the gamenes
of Billy Louise; what he failed to rea
ize was the gameness of himself. 'Tr
! a pretty worthless specimen righ
now," he said apologetically. "But II
I yours to command, Bill-the-Conl
/ You're the DOCTOR"
i ''Nope, I'm the cook, right now. Pv
U got a hunch. How would you like
\ cup of teas patient?
4 I'D rather have coffee-Doctor Wi
liam"
| "Tea, you mean. I'll have it read
in ten minutes" Then she weakene
before his imploring eyes. "You real
| oughtn't to drink coffee, with that f
yer, Ward. But, maybe if 1 don't mai
/ it very strong and put in lots
I cream Wen take a chance, buck
q rOor'
"How much sugar, patient?" Bill
Louise turned toward him with the t
;
Il None. 1 want to taste the coffe
n this trip"
M "Oh, all right! It's the worst THU
y you could think of, but that's the W.
with a patient Patients always wa
what they mustn't have"
wv "Sure-get it, too" Ward spoke t
&c tween long, satisfying gulps. "Hov
Iy, your other patient, Wilhelmina? How
pt mommie?"
"Oh, Ward! She's dead-mommi
er deadw Billy Louise broke down I
te. expectedly and completely. She we
ed down on her knees beside the bed a
on cried as she had not cried since S
sly looked the last time at mommie's 81
ill face, held in that terrifying calm. S
ks cried until Wards excited mutteriI
lw warned her that she must pull hers
er, together.
Ill "You be s-still," she command
he brokenly, fighting for her former 81
he cheerfulness. I'm all right. P