Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1928-12-06

IT
Cd It In full. Doctor Carpy told =
story himself.
"John," he chuckled with much en-
Joyment, "Pve been kind of mean"
"What have you been doing?"
1--WE been riding the old general
told him the PADRES here and
proved all you claimed up to the hilt
Then says; what have YOU got to
say to that?"
"What did he say?"
"What in blazes could he sayT'
"But the old mans changed. John.
He's broke-old age a-comin'. Then
somebody planted bullet close to his
ribs last night. and that annoyed
him consid'able. told him about you
going down to Bartoe's alone, and
leaving directions for Lefever to bring
the teamsters into action, soon as you
got Christie out. And how you cleaned
up Starbuck and cleaned out the place
and burnt 1t. Well, that pleased him.
Dash It, Doctor he says finally,
blood will tell; 1t will tell The boys
got 1t in him. Taking the credit all
to himself!" laughed Carpy. could
you beat that?
Nov, john" continued the doctor,
II had him brought up here to the
hotel. He's asleep now. After while
60 up and see him. He wants to see
you"
Selwood shook his head. 81 don't
want to see him."
Carpy raised his chin. Don't be
a mule; that's some of your old grand
father coming out in yOu-not your
mother. Some while later 60 up like
q man and see the general-to tell
you the truth, he amt long time
for down here, even If he gets well
of this wound-which I think he
will"
Then. in Carpy fashion, he sprang
further surprise. "How you feeling
this morning, John?"
Selwood almost stared at him. This
4 was a question the doctor never
asked Of anybody under any circum-
stances; Doctor Carpy's- patients
were told, not asked, how they felt.
But Selwood was ready for him. "Tll
ask a question, myself, Doctor. Did
you come out here In a wagon train"
| 81 did"
'"The first job l got west of the
Missouri river" continued Selwood,
twas driving team Of mules"
"Same as l, John-same as me-"
IT was q youngster-and you know
I wasn't husky one. By the time
I'd driven those mules week, If the
owner had knocked me on the head
I'd have thanked him for it. Every
body in the outfit was dead afraid
the Indians would get us; after the
first week l was dead afraid they
wouldn't. had sneezed and coughed
and snorted in that alkali dust till my
nose and eyes and throat were plum
burnt up. Then one evening, after
the hottest, scorchingest day I'd ever
felt in my life, on the Platte bot
toms"
Carpy nodded hard. "Hotter'n
blazes on those bottoms, want It"
"-somebody up ahead yelled! I
was Just about able to raise my head
and look over the mules ears. There,
ahead Of us-far, far away-I saw
snow, the snow on top Of the Rocky
mountains.
you're asking me, are you, how I
feel tonight? If 1t wasn't just for
one thing, I'd say l felt better than
I've ever felt since that evening
saw that snow on top Of the Rocky
mountains"
"What's the one thingr
Selwood shrank in a little. "You
couldn't mend It,"
81 know what's a-matter with you.
And, maybe, can't cure you-not !,
myself. But there's little huzzy up
stairs with her head as full of you
as your head is full Of her. That girl
can do q thing I can't do. Go up
stairs, man, knock on her door, and II
you can't tell her anything else, tell
her some Of the good news you heard
today. I gave her a hint. But she'd
like to hear a few things straight
from you"
| did she say thatr'
"That and a whole lot more"
averred Carpy, making his prevarica-
ton violent. since he felt he had gone
too far to retreat go on upstairs
and have a face-to-face talk with
brown-eyes."
Precipitation dewed Selwood's fore
head. Encouraging him in roughly
honeyed fashion, Carpy got him to
the foot of the stairs. He never did
remember just how he got up the ia
miliar flight that morning. But. once
above, he had wit enough to turn to-
ward his own room to consult the
| looking-glass about his hair.