Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-07-13

SSSA4 Ak " 41NxO
When he came back he carried in one
hand a medicine a s and In the other
a hypodermic syringe already filled.
He set the case down carefully, grasp.
ed and barred Andrea's forearm,
rubbed 1t with alcohol and quickly
gave her an injection. skip the next
five minutes he said. "Fasten your
mind to five minutes from now" She
only loaned to show that she heard
him.
But even before the Ave minutes
were up she could feel peace coming
to her body slowly and from far away
as though it Jared to pounce upon her
suddenly. When it settled upon her
T. brought with it q drowsy and In
enable relief. Her eyes could move
once more IN their sockets. They
followed the white man as he made
his rapid preparation for a long siege.
She heard him call Bathtub and issue
a string of orders; then-h he brought a
chair close to the cot n sat down.
Andrea" he said quietly, we're
up against it, o and I. 1 can't say
just what it is. It may be ptomaine,
you may have been sickeninE for APP
pendicitis, but I'm almost afraid 1t
isn't either Of those. If it's fever, it
is p~ernicious." Her eyes stared at
him. hung upon his face.
He took one of her hands in his.
Tn breaking all the rules by fright
ening you." he went on. land I do it
purposely. I do it because I've learn
thing. We're fighters. All the blood
in U veins flows one way-up-hill
to battle. We don't know when to
quit. No damned fever can show us
where to get of. It's going to, be
shoulder to shoulder and if you go
back on me, Ill 70 back On Cor, for I
trust you as I've eve trusted any
living thing"
Her hands twisted in his and
White Man." she said softly. You're
you to ring me in. No damned fever
can show you-no damned She
crumpled up and cried.
Good for you," said M'sungo
promptly, cry now. 1t can't do you
a bit of harm and it will probably
put you to sleep. But when you
wake, If you want to cry then, please
come up crying mad and ready to set
your teeth in. the throat Of pain. For
he'll have you, Kiddie, he'll have you
in a half Nelson and 1 can't always
stick him with the needle"
It was even as he said. All day and
all night the battle ragged and there
were moments when Andrea forgot
that she vas a fighter, begged with
gasping, heartrending moans for
opium and relief and when he re-
fused, her tongue turned bitter, sharp
as a s%erpent's tooth. Each word she
said, was chosen to. wound. Herself
the most fair-minded Of women, she
as dead love.
1Nhnk -~. -,Lal~ -. -x.HS 90
strength. At such moments M'sungo
felt himself on the verge of a mad
act. He would leap to his feet and
stride up and down, his fists clench-
ed at his sides, his face white, his
mind caught in a whirl Of torturing
doubt. The old problem Of values
seized upon his brain and tormented
it. What was worth while? How
much could one give out in agony for
to self? But when through the hours
she grew weak and weaker, that was
a thousand times worse. The light
went altogether from her eyes yet
they lived and living accused him in
silence Of horrible things-of Things
SO terrible that they lurked in that
deep shadow of the mind which is
beyond the ken of words.
He had nursed people before, he
HdQ seer men Q1e, CASUAL Iflen00 anQ
once a faithful servant. but nothing
like this had eve before come to
}him. 1t was as if this girl, this
stranger. were flesh Of his flesh, body
Of his body. He felt in himself the
tortured reflection Of each Of her tor
ments as though, t~ranscending the
barrier of SEX, he had stolen q
memory of motherhood and travail.
He was giving her the treatment
for pernicious malaria. Together
with every other white man who has
served apprenticeship to Africa he
had an extraordinary store Of rough
and ready medical knowledge. To
such men only six drugs are essential,
all others being classed as furbelows
Of the pampered sick room, and with
these they work as with elementAls.
Kill or cure is their motto, the saving
idea being that If the patient. can't
stand punishment, he would go under
in any case.
The trouble with M'sungo was that
he knew 80 well his shortcomings.
Each time he measured out q .iose,
his hand trembled as though it had
never gambled before and each time
he cursed his ignorance and in the
same breath prayed for guidance;
but, nevertheless, he fought steadiast-
lily against the continual pressure of