Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1940-12-06
CHAPTER II

Morgan held hot-water bottle over
the sink, filled it gingerly, ducking
her head as the kettle steamed.
Lossie spooned coffee into a per-
colator. Her brassy waves were
cushioned in heavy net.
Think it's pneumonia" she
asked, taking the kettle from her
mistress hand.
"a chill doesn't have to be pneu-
monia," Virgie said, but his voice
sounds funny and I heard him
coughing lot in the night. That
bed was damp probably. Nobody
has slept up there in time. He
should have had a fire-worn out
the way he was"
''If this house just had furnace
in it"
Nov, don't go harping on that,
Lossie Wilson," Virgie snapped.
Garry up some coal before the
doctor comes"
Lossie picked up the coal bucket,
stepped into the back hall to re-
move her hairnet and dab some
grayish-lavender powder on her
nose. The young man coughing in
the bed upstairs had romantic dark
eyes and a mouth cut wide for
laughter.
But all these devoted pains were
wasted after all. Branford Wills was
asleep. Red-hot coins of color
burned in his cheeks, his hair was
disordered and dry looking, his
hands twitched, thrusting out of the
blue sleeves of pair Of David Nor
gan's old pajamas.
He's sure enough got some
thing" Lossie decided, as she laid
coal softly on the fire.
Virgie came up presently, tucked
the hot-water bottle under the young
strangers feet, looked at him with
troubled eyes.
Hes sick, all right" she said.
"And I feel responsible. Putting him
in this cold tomb of a room-after
two nights out on that mountain"
well, you took him in" Lossie
comforted her in a whisper. "a lot
of people would have set the dog on
a trampy looking thing like him."
81 can let his people know-and
we can take good care of him, any
way" Virgie said.
Something appealing about this
dark young head on the pillow. She
had wanted three sons of her own
three boys, tall, dark, and auda-
cious. And Heaven had given her
only Marian who was small and slim
and peppery-but audacious enough,
goodness knew!
Wills stirred as the hot bottle
warmed him, lifted his head, looked
| startled.
"Oh, sorry-I'm getting up right
away" He licked his dry lips.
Someone should have called me"
You're not getting up just yet,"
Virgie interposed. you've got a
temperature.
That's odd" He CROPPED confused
ly with his long, facile hands. "I'm
never sick. I'll be all right in an
hour or two. I was pretty tired
and wet, too"
Lie down." ordered Virgie, terse-
ly, land don't talk too much. I'll
let your outfit know where you are.
But for the present you stay here"
"Please, Mrs. Morgan-I can't be
nuisance to you" He broke off
with racking cough and pain
snatched at him. He looked per-
picked and in anguish. He wiped
his lips with a corner of the sheet.
"I-guess-I am sick!" he muttered,
lying back again.
Virgie shifted the counterpart,
Strengthened the shades, poked the
fire, went downstairs again. In the
breakast-room Marian was sugar.
ing her fruit. Her hair was brushed
fiat, the sleeves of her orange pa
jamas tapped, she looked reproach-
full.
''Lossie says that hobo is SICK"
she said. Have we got him on our
hands?"
Virgie sat down, poured her cof-
fee, fingered the toast, raised her
voice. "Lossie! can't eat this cold
stuff. Make some hot. Yes, he's
sick-it looks like pneumonia. And
he's no hobo. I've telephoned for
the doctor and you'll have to stay
here till he comes. I've got to get
down to the mill"
"But I don't know thing about
pneumonia"
"You aren't expected to know.
That's what we have the doctor for.
You see that Lossie keeps the fire
up. I'll send Ada Clark out il
can get hold of her."
"Oh, my heavens, Mother! She
snuffles and her nose is always red,
and she thinks that she's going to be
kidnapped or something every time
she sticks her silly head outside"
| well, you don't have to look at
her. She can take care Of this boy
till he's well enough to be moved
somewhere-home, if he has any
home"
| ssJ uo,,Idn'f cal1 him a hov He's