Adventure, November 1915 — page 186: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

‘ at ist 5) , Ho, ery ‘ it, rat vier ee ¥ i a Noted ee oh wet alia. s Ol et bees ee iL 7; 4% air ‘ . i : ‘doctor. cried the doctor, leaping to his feet. 184 the danger of an illness,” stiffly replied the “And—— “Quit it!’ rumbled the old man. “Don’t ye dare fer to go to call me a layman. I don’t take that word from anybody on the range. D’ye hear?” “Good Heavens, you’re crazy! }?? furiously “Get out of my house, or [’ll summon the sheriff from across the way. Get out now!” “Yas, but what about the sick kid? When ye going to see him?” calmly asked the old man. “Tt’s none of your business, but I'll say that if the storm abates I will ride up there tomorrow,” wrathfully retorted the doc. tor. “Reckon we'll have to make different ar- rangements,”’ exploded the old man, and with easy grace he whipped out a .44-caliber gun, solid frame pattern, old style, but con- vincing. As he tucked the blue-black muz- zie under the doctor’s sagging chin he said: “Unless ye hanker to glide into the val- ley of the shadder ye’d better hump yeself into yer riding-togs, rope yer hoss, corral some of this yere diphthery dope and be ready to go with me inside of three minutes. D’ye foller my line of argument?” “A—a crazy man!’ gasped the doctor as his startled gaze traveled down the long barrel. “Anything but a layman,” sourly con- ceded the stranger. “Git busy!” With a helpless glance at the jail lights, _ barely showing across the street, the doctor groaned and placed some fifteen thousand units of antitoxin in his medicine-case. As he procured his fur coat and cap he mut- tered— “Tf I die in this storm my death will be on. your head.”’ “If ye don’t arrive in time to save the kid the coroner won’t never believe ye died of freezing,’ grimly warned the old man. “Now, if ye’ve got all the dope ye need, we'll mosey out to the hoss-hovel.” “T must speak to my wife first,” protest- ed the doctor. The old man rubbed his hooked nose du- biously with the hammer of the revolver, but finally consented. “That’s right and proper. No use to alarm a lady. But ye’ll simply say: ‘My dear, I’m going to trot up to Nevers’. His kid is sick. Will be back soon.’ If ye blaze any other sort of a trail and try to tip her ‘ Adventure off to call up the sheriff I shall have to plug ye from the hallway. Git busy!” With an icy spot on his back, where he believed the menacing revolver was point- ing, the doctor hastily summoned his spouse and hurriedly informed her of his errand, much in the words suggested by his escort. Before she could make any wifely remon- strance he had backed through the door. Over his shoulder she caught a glimpse of an old face half-smothered in white whis- kers.. “THERE!” triumphed the doctor, his professional pride to the fore. * “Vhe boy will pull through, Mrs. Nevers. But it was nip and tuck. See! Can’t you observe that he already begins — to improve? I’ll be up again tomorrow. I’m glad to have saved him. But I don’t fancy the messenger you sent.” Mrs. Nevers, who was devouring the boy with tearful eyes, cast a grateful glance to- ward the front room and whimpered: “T don’t know who he is, but it seems as if the Lord must have sent him.” “Possibly,’’ cynically replied the doctor, closing his medicine-case. ‘‘But he’s the first heavenly messenger I ever saw that toted a .44 Colt on his hip.” “Tf it wasn’t for him you’d never known of Eddie’s danger and he would have died,” she simply reminded. ‘TI haven’t tried to thank you. Sometime I shall. I’m too choked up to try to thank any one just now.” “No thanks, no thanks to me,’’ winced the doctor. “It’s my profession to cure, I’ll drop in tomorrow.” “But won’t you sit down and rest?” she urged. “No, no,” he bruskly refused, throwing on his coat. “The storm is abating. I never expected to get here against that wind. Seemed as if it were a year. But going back will be easy. Don’t worry, and try to get some sleep.” » And he was gone. In the front room, resting on a rug, slept the old man who-had done her such a beau- tiful service. The tears streamed down her faded cheeks as she stood in the doorway and stared at him. He was not a very pre- possessing old man as he lay there on his back, with blanket kicked back, and snoring harshly. Nor was there anything suggest- ive of a peace-loving nature in the long EoOmichboo <S (E@) m ‘