Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-06-28

y
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 after
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 Sc Ward rested his
arms upon his own doorstep and drop
ped his perspiring face upon than. He
lay there long while in a 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 crawlea farther
up on the step, reached the iatch 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 gawled
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
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
srected the teakettle, found it half full
and carried that also beside the bunk.
Then he rested awhile.
Bandagesl Well, there was new
flour sack hanging on q 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
outiit-two spools of very coarse thread
some large eyed needles to carry it, an
assortment of buttons and i pair of
scissors. He cut the -four sack into
strips and sewed the strips together;
his stitches we're neater than you might
think.
When the bandege 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 of the lid. 'I'n
liable to need you, too" he muttered
to the rows of cans, and pulled the boz
close. He took Buck Olney's knife anc
whitfield some very creditable splint.
from the thin boards and rummaged IL
his ''wnrbag" under the bunk for hand
kerchiefs with which to wrap th,
splints.
When he had done all that he coult
dc TO prepare for the long siege of paiI
and helplessness ahead of him he NOV
ed along the bunk until he was sittinl
near the head of it with his broken lei
extended before him and took las
look to make sure that everything wa
ready. He felt his gun at his hip, re
moved belt and all and threw It bacl
upon the bed. Then he turned his hea,
and stared, frowning, at the black but
where 1t protruded from the holste
suggestively ready to his hand. H
reached out and took the gun, turned
over and hesitated. No telling what In
sane impulse fever might bring upo
him and still-no telling what Buc
Olney might do when he discovere
that he was not in any immediate daI
ger Of hanging.
Then he removed his boots by th
} simple method of Sitting the legs wit
Bucks knife, barred his broken leg i
the same manner, braced himself mel
! tally and physically. gritted his tcet
} and went doggedly to work.
: A man never knows just how muc
, he can endure or what he can do unit
he is making his last stand in the figl
/, for self preservation. Ward had L
! mind to lie there and die of blood DO
E soning. for instance and broken bonl
e do not set themselves. SO, sweatir
e and swearing with the agony of it, l
set his leg and bound the splints
3 place and thanked the Lord it was
e straight, clean break and that the fe.
: was not torn.
I Then he dropped back upon the b,
e and didn't care whether he lived or nc
4 Followed days of fever, through whic
Ward lived crafty and lost count of Il
e hours as they passed. Days when
needed good nursing and did not z
e so much as drink of water exec
Is through pain and effort. Hours VIII
IS he cursed Buck Olney and thought
It had him bound to the chair in the ca
I'm. Hours when he watched for hi
D. gun in hand, through the window |
lie side the bunk.
ID He had made final trip to Hard
f. two weeks before and had brought ba
lg supplies for the winter. And becau
In his pay streak of Pravel bank had vie
T. ed fair harvest he had not stint
he himself on the things he liked to e
ID He lay looking over the piled boz
n against the farther wall and wonder
IL he could reach the box of crack,
eg and drag it up beside the bunk.
as was weak, and to move his leg "
rt agony. Well, there was dish of pruI
1k on the window sill.
IL Ward ate a dozen or SO, but he wa
es ed the crackers. He leaned as far
nd he could from the bed. and the box v
still two feet from his outstretched
nd gers. He lay and considered how
he might bring the box within reach.
ce At the head Of the bunk stood
ed case of peaches and beneath that
q. case Of canned tomatoes, the two fol
re- ing a stand for his lantern. He e,