The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1920-02-07

| pain.
rs it as bad as that?" said M'sungo.
Into his voice had already come the
calm of man accustomed to the face
/ of danger. I'm going to leave you
for "A moment" he continued. when
l come I'll take the pain away"
He stepped toward the barred door
and tried to open it. SO intent was he
on getting TO his room that he glanced
at the cord and saw only that il was
hindering him. He drew out his knife.
cut the bar free and hurried on. The
three minutes he was gone seemed an
eternity to Andrea. When he came
back he carried in one hand a medi-
cine case and in the other hypo-
dermic syringe already filed. He set
the case down carefully. grasped and
barred Andrea's forearm, rubbed il with
alcohol and quickly gave her an in
! lection. skip the next five minutes"
he said. "Fasten your mind to five
minutes from now" She only moaned
to show that she heard him.
But even before the five minutes
were up she could feel peace coming
to her body slowly and from far away.
as though it feared to pOunce upon her
suddenly. When it settled upon her it
brought with 1t drowsy and ineffable
relief. Her eyes could move once more
in their sockets. They followed the
white man as he made his rapid prep
aratiOn for a long siege. She heard
him call Bathtub and issue a string
OF orders; then he brought chair
close to the cot and sat down.
Andrea" he said quietly, we're up
against it. you and l. | can't say just
what it is. 1t may be ptomaine. you
may have been sickening for appen-
| dicitis, but I'm almost afraid ii isn't
either of those. If it's fever, it is per-
nicious." Her eyes stared at him.
hung upon his face.
He took one of her hands in his.
I'm breaking all the rules by fright
ening you" he went on. land / do it
purposely. do it because I've learned
that you and l are brothers in one
thing. We're fighters. All the blood
in our veins flows one way-up hill to
battle. We don't know when to quit.
No d. fever can show us where to
get off. It's going to be shoulder to
shoulder, and if you go back on me
I'll go back on God for l trust you as
I've never trusted any living thing"
Her hands twisted in his and gripped
his fingers. you're great, White
Map" she said softly. you're like
that-a fghter-and it's sweet of you
to ring file In. No d fever can
show you-no d" She crumpled
up and cried,
Good for hyou," said Msungo
promptly. "cry now. 1t can't do you
bit of harm and il 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. Riddle, he'll have you il half
Nelson and l can't always stick him
with the needle"
1t was even as he said. All dav end
all night the battle ragged. and there
were moments when Andrea forgot
that she was fighter, begged with
gasping heartrending means for opium
and relief. and when he refused. her
tongue turned bitter. sharp as a SER
pent's tooth. Each word she said was
chosen to wound. Herself the most
fair-minded of women, she became
unjust. ungenerous and cruel as dead
love.
He was giving her the treatment for
pernicious malaria. Together with
every other white man who has served
apprenticeship 60 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.
On those rare occasions when An
to use the needle he would watch her
until the opiate stilled her and then
fall into his chair Ind to sleep. 81 am
here" he would say even as his lids
closed. "Never forget, I'm here for
you. Touch me or speak to me and
I'll awake" 1t was true. In spite of
his long vigil he kept deep slumber
at distance by an effort of the will
like a man who sets clock in his
mind and trusts TO his subcOnscious
self TO call him at the hour marked.
The afternoon of the second day
found Andrea unusually subdued and |
still. but he was not deceived. He !
looked at her eyes and saw that their |
pupils still appeared convex and CLASSY |
like the eyes of a fish. They stared at |
him with an Unreasonable gravity. |
When her dry lips parted, he shrank |
even before she spoke.
II wish you would go away" she
said quietly. 81 don't like to look at |
you; | don't wish you to look ut me.
| will be glad If | never see you again.
There Is no one in the world that |
wish ever to see again. Please send me
that niger. Bathtub. If | must have
some one | would rather have him."