The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1945-08-17

She must answer him. I'VE cant
understand entirely, Ken"
"Why not?"
"You can't understand something
that's so much bigger than you are.
Not wholly understand. You can't
even wholly understand your father
or me-only one side of us. And
even less, your Heavenly Father, the
Father of all of us. It would be as
If small circle, like a nut, could
get outside a big circle, like an
orange"
Ken was silent, composing an Inn
portant prayer. "Please God, make
me have fortitude. And don't let me
lose my grip. But if you could man.
age it to have the Goblin come back,
and F'licka get through this foaling
all right, that would be just keen.
For Jesus Christ's sake, Amen"
There was flash of radiance on
his face as he looked up at his
mother.
Arrived at the railroad station,
Nell entered the telegraph Office,
and Ken stood listening to the mys-
FERROUS dots and dashes which asked
the telegraph agent at Laramie II
he would be so kind as to do Captain
Mclaughlin of the Goose Bar ranch
a favor, and telephone the veterina-
rian, DR.. Hicks, and find out IT he
could start to the ranch immediate
ly to deliver a foal?
Within five minutes the message
came back that DR.. Hicks would
come.
On the Goose Bar ranch the
weather was hot-really hot-for
only two or three weeks in midsum-
mer. On this day the thermometer
stood at hundred and one with a
burning, dry heat which lay on the
land in shimmering waves, remind
er that it was not far removed from
the desert.
Inside the barn, in spite of wide
open doors and windows, everyone
was soaked with perspiration and
DR.. Hicks had constantly to turn
aside and shake the water from his
forehead. Rob and the boys were
naked from the waist up.
Flicka, exhausted by hours of I'M
awaiting labor, lay on her side. 1t
was a dry birth. For long time
before the veterinarian arrival one
of the foal's forelegs had been pro-
truding.
(Which MEANS" said DR.. Hicks
when he arrived, "that the other leg
is curled back and makes birth inn
possible. The foal is in the wrong po-
sition, it will have to be straight
ened out" He asked for a gunny
sack, cut holes in the corners for
his arms and one in the middle for
his head, removed shirt and under
shirt, donned the gunny sack,
creased his arm and went to work.
Ken watched him, vowing to him
self that never again should Flicka
be allowed to have another foal.
The doctor pulled as, holding the
tiny yellow foreleg, he slowly forced
it back into the mare. Ken saw it
vanish with a strange sensation.
Could the foal still be alive after
being handled like that? At length
the Doctors hand and wrist disap-
peared too, and Ken, watching his
heavy brown face with its humor-
Gus expression, as if at any moment
ne was going to crack joke, tried
to read on it just what was going on
inside there. Lucky, thought he,
that Doc was so big and husky. To
be able to straighten out foal
inside Of its mother took strength
While Doc worked he talked in
short grunts. "This mare'll never
foal again-that infection she had
when she was yearling injured her
scar tissue-it's a wonder she's as
good as she is. All right for saddle
--ah, there, I've got it now"
"Got what?" breathed Ken.
"The other hoof. Both of them.
This isn't going to be SO bad, after
ALL"
Nell was kneeling at Flicka's head,
sponging her face and mouth with
cold water. Now and then the mare
gave a spasmodic heave.
Presently Doc was pulling on
something. Flicka groaned and la
bored nightly. Ken groaned and
strained too, but Howard watched
every move the doctor made, keenly
interested. Two tiny hoofs and a
muzzle appeared and the doctor got
to his feet and mopped the sweat
from his face.
"She may be able to manage the
rest herself now I've got it in the
right position" he said.
But Flicka couldn't. Most of her
strength was gone and it seemed
that something still impeded the de-
livery.
Mclaughlin looked at his watch.
''It's been going on three hours
now" He and Doc talked together in
low voices. 1t frightened Ken to
hear them-so casual and fatalistic.
Ken touched the protruding hoofs.
They were not hard yet and were
covered with rubber-like pads. He
tried to pull on them and was dumb
founded to find that it was like try
ing to pull bough from tree.