Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1922-07-13
you should have doctor; you
must have a DOCTOR" asserted Mr..

"You should have a doctor; you
must have DOCTOR" asserted Mr..
Jack.
"No, no." croaked Miss B. huskily.
"As II we could have doctor come
here! Besides, there's no one to get
him. You can't go for a doctor, and
haven't any telephone, you know"
Mr.. Jack set his lips suddenly into a
straight, hard line, whereat Miss b.
fastened to add:
Il don't need one, anyway. I'll be
better in the morning"
'You will, indeed-or there will be
a DOCTOR" retorted the man, savagely,
as he bent himself to the task Of pre-
pairing flaxseed poultice for Miss BIS
throat and lungs.
Miss B. went to bed that night with
neither bolt nor lock nor barricading
trunk to guard her door. 1t was all
her hot, shaking hands could, do to
prepare herself for the smooth sheets
that felt so cool and restful to. her
aching limbs.
In the room above, Mr.. Jack did not
go to bed at all, but sat up all night
with his door wide open so that he
might hear If from below should come
a feeble call. As the night advanced
his face became more haggard, and
his mouth more sternly set. Long be-
fore dawn hes crept downstairs and
carried back with him q pencil and
some paper. After that he. wrote busily
by the light Of his little OIL lamp.
At six o'clock Mr.. Jack went down
stairs to get breakfast. After time
he tapped at Miss BIS door. There
was no answer,
Miss B., how are you?"
Still no answer. s. -
The man drew in his breath then
and held 1t suspended while he softly
turned the knob and pushed open the.
door.
Miss B., I'll have to know If you're
Sick" he stammered.
In the bed a wild-eyed, flushed
checked woman sat straight up, staring
into his face.
go away" she whispered. II don't
know you'll" Plainly Miss B. was i'll.
With dismayed exclamation the
man closed the door, and hurriedly
effaced all evidences of his recent ef-
forts toward notwithstanding. Then,
tucking into Miss BIS work basket the
letter he had written during the night,
he thrust his hat far down over his
eyes, unlocked the back door, and
watched his chance to slip out into the
alley.
For some weeks Hayden's Notion
Store remained closed to the public.
In the rear rooms Miss B., with the
anxious aid Of the doctor, nurse, and
sundry kindhearted neighbors, was
making a brave fight for life. 1t was
long fight, and hard one; but iii
the end Miss B. opened wide her eyes,
alight with her long-lost reason.
She began to ask questions immedi-
.ately. There seemed to be something
that she wanted to say-and yet. she
did not say 1t at once. At last the.
doctor heard this:
Doctor, that man who ran away.
from the police-did he ever get
caught r.
Eyes; but as it happened, the man
he shot didn't die, after all, so it won't
go hard" The doctor stopped sud-
denly. Miss B. had tainted.
It was not until Miss B. had been up
and dressed in her wrapper for three
days that she found the closely written
sheets Of note paper in her work
basket. Then with q little sobbing cry
she settled herself to read them.
Dear Miss B. (Mr. Jack had written:
1t amt daylight yet, but I'm going to
write this now, as I'm afraid It will be
too late tomorrow. shall be gone then.
for I'm sure I'll have to get doctor to
you somehow IN the morning.
But first I want to tell you q little how
feel. I'm afraid ] cam, though don't
know where to begin. Here am sitting
UP here worse than helpless while down.
stairs the woman love-there! I've said
1t. That was the part didn't know
how to get out, and here it's come the
hrst thing. reckon. anyhow, hadn't
ought to said It. I know youth say 30
when you read the rest Of this letter.
n,
and haven't been worth 1t. .still-well,
have lived rough life. but not bad
one-not q really bad one. shall not |
forget these seven days, nor you neither,
Miss g.. and want to explain right here !
abopt-what I did. didn't know until
the paper came that night that I'd really |
killed that man-though he deserved kill |
ing all right. He was Bud Durgin, the
rascal that married my little sister May
years ago. broke her heart, and then |
deserted her. Shes dead now, and I |
hadn't seen him for years till I,!met him
by chance that morning. We quarrelled,
OF course, and he said something about |
Maya black lie straight from the black |
heart Of him-that made me craxy mad
We pulled our guns, both Of us. His shot |
missed. but mine-didn't. He fell, and II !!
ran, and found-you. OF course. BY the
tims you read this shall be caught, ana
y wtlls be III M. But ! wanted you to-
know. s 3s s. III,
{ l hope you'll 10 bstter In the. morning
but I'm afraid you won't And II you
Amt ! shall hids this somswhers, and
90 ont and tslsphone for Doctor. Any.
how, I've made up my mind I shali have
TO tell you all this pretty soon, no mat
ter what comes, for I'm ashamed 20 tm-l
fA0aA1 an 49,