Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1921-04-07

S'bS VSuI Jain
and the grave, l had a vague notion
that the door was falling over on me
and MASKING me fiat; and after that,
everything went blank.
When l came to life out of what
seemed like an endless succession Of
bad dreams it was broad daylight and
h sun was shining brightly through
some filmy kind Of curtain stuff in a
big window that looked out toward the
west. ! was in bed, the room was
strange, and my right hand was
wrapped up in a lot Of cotton and
bandaged.
l hadn't more than made the first
restless before 1 saw a sort of
pie-faced woman in a nurses cap and
apron start to get up from where she
was sitting by the window. Before
she could come owe to the bed, some
body opened a door and tip-toed in
ahead of nursey. l had to blink hard
two or three times before I could real
~ make up my mind that the tip-toer
was Maisie Ann. She looked as il she
might be the nurses understudy. She
had a nifty little lace cap on her thick
mop of hair. and l guess her apron
was meant to be nursey too, only it
was frilled and tucked to a fare-you.
well.
You poor, poor boy" she cooed,
patting my pillow just like my grand
mother used to when I was a little
kid Il had the mumps or the measles.
Are you still roaming around in the
Oregon woods?"
That brought my dream, or one Of
them, back; the one about wandering
around in a forest of Douglas fir and
having to jump and dodge to keep the
big trees from falling on me and
smashing me.
mo more woods for mine," I said,
sort of feebly. And then: "Where
J. am I?'
You are in bed in the spare room
at Cousin Basil's. Thag wanted to
take you to the railroad hospital that
night, but when they t%elephoned up
here to try to find Mr.. Norcross,
Cousin Basil went right down and
brought you home with him in the am
b%ulance."
"'That night you say?" 1 parroted.
1T was last night that the door fell
on me, wasn't it?"
II don't know anything about a door,
but the night that they found you all
burnt and crippled, lying at the foot
of your office stairs, was three days
ago. You have been out of your head
nearly all the time eve since"
Burnt and crippled? What hap
pened to me. Aaisie ANN"
"Nobody knows; not ever the doc
tors. We've been hoping that some
day you'd be able to tell us. Can't
you tell me. now, Jimmie?"
| told her all there was to tell.
mumbling around among the words
the best I could. Then she told me
how the headquarters Waterman had
found me about midnight; with my
right hand scorched black and the
rest uf me apparently dead and ready
to be buried. The ambulance surgeon
had insisted. and was still insisting,
that ! had been handling a live wire !;
but there were no wires at all in the
lower hall, and nothing stronger than
an in%candescent light current in the
entire Office building.
And you say I've been here hang
ing on by my eyelashes for three days?
What has been going on in all that
time. Maisie Ann? Hasn't anybody
been here to see met"
She gave a little nod. Everybody,
nearly. Nh. Van Britt has been up
every day, and sometimes twice a day.
He has been awfulIy anxious for you
to come alive.
"But Mr.. Norcross?" queried.
Hasn't he been un?n
She shook her head and turned her
face away. and she was looking
straight out OF the window at the set
ting sun when she asked. when was
the last time YOU saw Mr.. Norcross,
/, Jimmie?"
choked q little over n big scare
that seemed to rush up out of the
bed-clothes to smother me-, But I
made out to answer her question, tell
ing her how Mr.. Norcross Ind left the,
Office maybe half IN ilour or 50 before
] did, than night, going uptown with
Nr, Itipley. Then | asked her Why