All-Story Weekly, March 1, 1919 — page 167: what you’re looking at

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

———- se Se SS ee = > = =. ie are — —— > te =. Pe — > SL ee ~ NS = ap ae = ee Sa PIO ee 5 eo" THE GROUCH. “ Cert’nly he is.” “Did he wake at all during the night?” -“ No; he didn’t. He kept right on sleep- in’ because he was havin’ good care.” ‘“He’s fortunate,” said Miss Dean, nod- ding. ‘ Did he talk in his sleep?” Mame shook her head, and it was a truth- ful answer, to the best of her knowledge and belief; for she had been asleep most of the night herself, sprawled in the Grouch’s rocker. “Any fever this morning?”’ “ He’s very comfortable, thank you,” an- swered Mame, primly. ‘I put my hand on his brow a little while ago and it’s per- fectly cool. You needn’t be worryin’ about anything, Miss Dean; I’ve got him in hand.” “ He’s a very lucky Grouch.” There was a flare in Mame’s eyes. | “Tt’s sinful, the way you all call him that!” she exclaimed. ‘‘ And him a poor, _ sick man, who’d like to have perished if _I hadn’t taken care of him! It ain’t right and fair. ‘““He’s got a perfectly beautiful nature, when one understands him; but one can’t understand unless one is sympathetic. The way you and Mr. Higgins and Mr. Tilley talk—”’ “Sh!” whispered Miss Dean. wake him, Marigold.” Mame halted in the middle of her de- nunciation and looked anxiously toward the cabin. ; “Let him sleep his head off,” advised Miss Dean, as she turned to go. “ Don't wake him. If he gets restless, use the ham- mer.” Mame Brundage stood petrified with hor- ror as the lady of the cottage chuckled soft- ly and started down the hill. Miss Dean had gone a considerable distance before she rallied herself and went back to the cabin. She entered on tiptoe and closed the door, to find the Grouch wide awake and watch- ing her with eyes that seemed to be sane. “My! You’ve waked up, haven’t you?” “Anything odd about that?” he de- manded. _ “ Feelin’ better?” she asked, approaching the bed. “You'll . te a — —— : se _ <=. —_ - es An ungracious grunt was the only reply. His glance began to rove about the cabin. — ‘“‘T been watchin’ you all night long,” said Mame, tenderly. - “ You were terrible bad part of the time. But I’ve been doin’ my best. You look lots better.” ‘““ Anybody else been here?” he asked sud- denly. Mame hesitated. She had no intention of sharing the glory of bringing Grouch back from the land of shadows, but she was not quite sure that she could avoid it. It all depended upon whether people in delirium ever remembered what really hap- pened..So she was cautious and evaded a direct answer. “Don’t you remember anything about last night?” she inquired. 2 He shook his head as he watched her | narrowly. - “You were out of your head, Mr. March.” ‘““T was, eh? don’t remember.” | Mame felt the buoyancy of sudden relief. “Yes; you “were very delirious,” she added. ‘“‘ You kept talkin’ about things, _ but you didn’t know what you were sayin’.” “Was I violent?” | “Oh, no; not violent. Not so as [ couldn’t handle you. There was a couple of times I had to hold you down, but that wasn’t anything. I didn’t mind.” “‘ Managed it all alone, did you?” “Why, cert’nly,” said Mame, confident now. ‘‘ You didn’t think I was goin’ to let anybody else take care of you, did you?” “Get me a glass of water,” said the Grouch. As Mame obeyed the order, he turned his face away and screwed his lips into a sneer. “ The liar!” he muttered. When she returned with the water he snatched the glass from her hand and drank greedily. SE ‘“That’s all,” he said. “ You-can go,” Mame refused to quail under the blow. “Qh, I don’t mind losin’ a whole night’s sleep,” she said. “ Besides, I got to tidy up the place and then get your breakfast.” “Don’t want any breakfast. And you — can leave the place as it is.” “You’ve got to eat somethin’, just to | Well, perhaps I was. I ‘ “ — SZ ~ “ _— = - = | / y - S = i oo * \ lk / ww EE’ . < - ae hat A= — 5 oe ra = i to ane - + « 7 2% ‘*