Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1924-05-22
CHAPTER Xxx
Search Of the Lanould Eyes.

Search of the Languid Eyes.
All through the long and terrible
Gay following that tragic night, the an.
! gels of life and death waged their grim
!, struggle In the parlor bedroom, where
the hapless sufferer writhed In the de-
lirium that followed the shock Of her
wound.
| Toward evening Aunt Eliza, bsiiev-
ing with the others that the end was
near, beckoned the woodsman to the
| bedside.
1t fairly staggered him to see the
frightfM change the hours had
wrought Under an impulse of pity
that he could not resist hes bent over
the bed, caught up her hands and spoke
her name She instantly grew more
quiet and turned her face toward his
voice.
The doctor was quick to notice this,
and at his direction Jack dropped on
his knees by the bedside and began
talking to her, softly stroking her
hands and wrists and face the while
and as he talked she grew calmer.
Hour after hour the man knelt and
crooned the story of their playmate
days, while the doctor piled his utmost
art and the women layished their care
Late that night she seemed to quiet
away into light sleep. A smile strug-
gled out upon the doctors grim feat
ures and he went out into the yard for
moment Of relaxation. The woods
man laid the girls hands down upon
the covers, rose to his feet, stumbled
out to the kitchen and dropped down
on chair by the cook stove.
Barely a minute after, Aunt Liza,
sleepless and faithful, tapped him on
the shoulder.
"She's frettin ag'in"
He sprang up and hurried to the
sick-room. But before he reached the
bedside her tossing had ceased and she
lay back against the pillow still and
white He caught up her hands; they
were so cold 1t startled him.
At that moment the doctor came
back in. The instant he entered the
room the unusual stillness-or the in
stinct of his Professionalism have
warned him that something was amiss,
for he hurried to the bedside and bent
keen look upon the patient
Her hans are like ice" the woods
man faltered.
"She's sinking fast" was the doctors
answer, as he made ready powerful
stimulant. Rub her hands and wrists
and temples-rub toward the heart
and try to call her back with some
more Of that Black rock and Whisper
ing spring talk. And be quick with
those hot cloths, you women. If we
can only keep breath in her for the
next hour"
The weodsman, toiing with gray and
craven face, was the first to notice the
CLEANLINESS leaving her hands and a
faint tinge of color beginning to drive
the chill out of her fingers. The doc
tor bent low over her, noted the respi-
ration, took her pulse again.&
Shes got chance" he muttered
Keep on with that talk. Warhope,
and rub her wrists and temples-and
come on with more hot cloths. the rest
of yoif"
Nearly an hour had gone when the
girls lids fiuttered apart and the bril-
liant eyes strayed open-weak, hag-
gard, but no longer wild and vacant
with delirium
Slowly the eyes Travelled over the
room, languid questioning in them
searched the faces about her; dwelt
at last upon the face of the woods
man.
"Jack"-it was only a whisper, fiut-
tering out upon the labored breath
but it was the sweetest sound his ears
Had ever heard-'he didn't kin WI
He dropped on one knee by the bed
side, but dared not trust his voice with
word
"Jack-what-wh
"You've ben sick-bad-and we're
all tryin' t coax y'u back we'll When
y'u git strong Wen have long talk
you and me-hut now. won't y'u jist
try t go t sleep. Won't y'u"'
'Yes," she whispered. like Il trust
Ing child--"I'In so-tiretl-"
one hand stole across the covers
and hunted his; the long lashes
dropped over the languid eyes and she
slipped away to sleep. The others tip
Aoed from the room
what she needs above everything
nuttered the doctor, softly closing the
slept will do her more good
right now than all the medicine in the
world"
And there Jack crouched- himself
Bruised and wOrn-afraid to move
with her hands in his, lest she start
swake and 80 lose one moment Of the
test lust then precious beyond calcela-