The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1921-01-20
VI.

The a"clent Oml 10 the eHeCt
that man proposes but God disposes
was never better exemplifed than in
the case Of John Stuart Webster, who,
having formulated certain daring
plans for the morrow and surrendered
himself to grateful slumber in his
staterOom aboard the Gulf States Linn
tied, awoke on that momentous morn
TO q distinct apprehension that all was
not as II should be with him. His
mouth reminded him vaguely Of a
bird-and-anlmal store, and riot and In
surrection had broken out In the
geometric center Of his internal
economy.
Webster was sufficient Of a jack-leg
doctor to suspect he was developing
q splendid little case OF ptomaine
poisoning. He decided to go into x
ecutlve session with the sleeping-car
conductor. who wired ahead for a doc
tor to meet the train at the next STA
ton. And when the sawbones came
and paved Jack Webster over, he
gravely announced that If the patient
had the slightest ambition to vote at
the next presidential election, he
should leave the train at st. Louis and
enter q hospital forthwith. To this
heart-breaking program Webster en-
tered not the slightest objection, for
when Il man is seriously I'll. he Is in
much the anne position MS a politician
-to-wit: lie is in the hands of his
friends.
However, life had the habit of 60
ing hard with Webster so frequently
that fortunately he was trained to the
minute and after three days of heroic
battling the doctor awarded Jack the
decision. Thereafter they kept him In
the hospital ten days longer. feeding
him up" as the patient expressed it
ut the end of which period Webster,
some fifteen pounds lighter and not
quite so fast on his feet as formerly,
resumed his journey toward New Or
leans.
In the meantime, however. several
things had happened. To begin, Do
lores Ruey spent two days wondering
what had become Of her quondam
knight Of the whiskers-at the end
Of which period she arrived In New
Orleans with the conviction strong
upon her that while her hero might be
as courageous as a wounded lion when
dealing with men, he was the pos
SCISSOR, when dealing with women, Of
about two per cent less courage than
4 cottontail rabbit. Being a very hu-
a young lady, however, she could
not help wondering what had become
IF the ubiquitous Mr.. Webster. al
though the fact that he had mysteri-
,usly disappeared from the train en-
'oute to New Orleans did not perturb
Ter one-half so much as 1t had the dis
ippearee. She had this advantage
,ver that unfortunate man. Whereas
ne did not know she was bound for
3%uenaventura, she knew he was:
lence, upon arrival In New Orleans
he dismissed him from her thoughts,
creme In abiding faith that sooner OF
sater her knight would appear, like
title Bo-Peep's lost sheep, dragging
lis tail behind him, so to speak.
Dolores spent a week In New Or
cans renewing schoolgirl friendships
rom her convent days In the quaint
I'D town. This stop-over, together
nth the q In Denver, not having
cen taken into consideration by Mr..
William Geary when he and Mother
enks commenced to speculate upon
ne approximate date Of her arrival In
uenaventura, resulted In the prema-
ire fight Of Mother jerks to San
tiguel de Padua, a fruitless visit on
he part Of Billy aboard the Cacique.
the United Fruit company's line,
Beloved by a hurry call to Mother
,nks to return to B~uenaventura until
q arrival Of the next steamer.
This time Billy's calculations proved
,rrect. for Dolores did arrive on that
SNeamer. The port doctor came
BOARD, partook Of his customary
Ink with the captain. received Q
indie Of the latest American news
lpers and magazines, nosed around
he'd q few perfunctory questions
d gave the vessel pratiQue.
po1oraG 0bseryed q gas0lino launch