New Mexico state record., 1918-04-05

grinding their edges together. Ana
still. what else could lie do:
He reached out, took the reils and
led Rather II step nearer so that he
could grasp the stlrrup. With his voice
LIE 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 1t behind bucA
brush He slipped off the bride, flung
that after the saddle and gave Rather
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 n 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
shamcfully. He had enough to think Of
with his present plight, without wOr-
rying over the past.
In half an hour or 80 Ward rested his
arms upon his own doorstep and drop
ped his perspiring face upon then. 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 a 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 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 1t.
He managed to reach the cupboard
where he kept his dishes. and took down
II bottle Of linment and box of car
bolized vaseline which he happened to
have. He was near the two big zinc
water pailS which he had filled that
morning just to show Buck Olney how
cool he was over his capture, and he
hethought 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
sIcCted the teakettle, found it half full
and carried that also beside the bunk.
Then he rested awhile.
Bandages. Well. there was 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
Duttit-twO spoOls of very coarse thread,
Of buttons and ., pair Of |
scissors. He cut the flour sack into |
strips and Sewed the strips together;
lis stitches were neater than you might |
hink.
When the bandage was long enough |
Al II ha hpI IL do,
md tiShed some pins ont of the cigar
,oX and laid them where he codld get /
lis fingers on them quickly. He stood
~ again. reached across to IA box of
milk and pricd off the lid. "Im
liable to need You, too" he muttered
o the rows of cans, and pulled the box
lose He took Buck Olncy's knife and
Whitfield some very creditable splints
rom the thin boards and rummaged in
lis 'warbag" under the bunk for hand
.erchiefs with which to wrap the
pllnts.
When he had done all that he could
o to prepare for the long siege Of pain
nd helplessneSs ahead of him he mOv-
d along the bunk until he was sitting
ear the head of 1t with his broken leg
xtended before him and took a last
Dok to make sure that everything was
eady. He felt his gun at his hip, re-
moved belt and all aid threw It back
pOn the bed. Then he turned his head
nd stared. frowning at the black butt
7here it protruded from the holster
ready to his hand. He
cached out and took the gun, turned it
yer and hesitated. No telling what in
ane impulse fever might bring upon
im-and still-no telling what Buck
|lney might do when he discovered
hat he was not in any immediate dan
er Of hanging.
Then he removed his boots by the
imple method of Sitting the legs with
,uck's knife, barred his broken leg in
ne same manner, braced himself men-
Ally and physically, gritted his teeth
nd went doggedly to work.
A man never knows just how much
e can endure or what he can do until
e is making his last stand in the fight
,r self preservation. Ward had no
lind to lie there and die Of blood poi.
ming, for instance, and broken bones
0 not set themselves. So sweating
nd swearing with the agony Of 1t, he I
It his leg and bound the splints in
lace and thanked the Lord 1t was a {
,raight, clean break and that the flesh I
as not torn. {
Then he, dropped back upon the bed
nd didn't care whether he lived or not
Followed days Of fever, through which |
lard lived crazily and lost count of the