Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 4 — page 158: what you’re looking at

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664 The thought was unpleasant, and I put it aside hastily, together with all other specu- lations as to what Uucle Gregory had been doing in the past—since the immediate thing to do was to see to Uncle Gregory in the present. He had fallen into a sort of coma, and lay so still that I feared he was already beyond help. Shirley had realized this sooner than I; after her first exclamation at our great-uncle’s words, she had stood for 2 moment with compressed lips and drawn brows; then, rousing herself, had gone to Uncle Gregory’s side where she was directing Peter, in a most efficient way, to place hot cloths over the sick man’s heart. Peter had produced both cloths and hot water in a miraculously short time; and while Shirley wrung them out, Peter and I applied them according to her direction. ‘“‘He’s fair starved,’ Peter groaned over the pitifully shrunken body thus disclosed, whose bones seemed about to stab through the flesh. ‘‘ If I could only catch the mur- dering devil—”’ Inwardly I echoed him; if murder had not actually been done, it had come pretty close to it. It was clear to me that Uncle Gregory must have been shut up here all the time we were in the house, and I saw now why the door had been locked and the dresser drawn in front of it. It was devilish work, and the thought that we had lived unsuspectingly for three days with this imposter was far from pleas- ant. ,Evidently it had suited his ends to let us alone; I could not flatter myself that we had owed our immunity to any other reason. “He must be fed,” Shirley interrupted my thoughts. “ Peter, have you any bouil- lion cubes? Good. Heat some immedi- ately and bring it up here as quick as you can. Only the broth, no crackers, mind.” Peter hurried off, and we were left to- gether to continue the treatment with the hot cloths. It was succeeding, without a doubt, for some color had come back to his lips and cheeks, and warmth to As extremities. “Where did you learn so much about nursing?” I asked, to cover the awkward . pause. Dic g itiz ry Go ogle ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. | “I thought of being a nurse, among other things, but I only studied one year. I really don’t know much about it.”’ “‘’You’ve done the right thing here, evi- dently. Do you think he will recover?” “Yes, I think so, but he must be fed very carefully. I believe we should have the doctor here to see him—at once!” “Tl go for him,” I volunteered, glad to get away and think. things over by myself. “I was starting to go after him for our other invalid, but I went in my uncle’s room and fell asleep, somehow. Come to think of it, I don’t believe that sleep was quite natural. ” “Why?” asked Shirley, more I expect because she, like me, was trying to keep away from unpleasant topics than because of any real interest. “TI felt tired, and I took one swallow of the whisky your—I mean Uncle Richard left in my room. About five minutes after, my head began to feel queer, and I just couldn’t keep awake. It must have been drugged. _“ By Jove, I’ve got it! He must have doped it, and left it in the room that night, in the hope that I would take enough to keep me quiet the rest of the time. The only thing that saved me was that I was too lazy to get up and get it. Clinch must have got hold of it later, but I don’t under- stand why it didn’t put him to sleep, too, at once.” « “TI see!” cried Shirley. ‘“ He probably took just enough to excite him at first. Morphin acts that way sométimes on peo- ple who are not normal; and then the re- action came and he is sleeping it off. I don’t think a dozen knocks on the head’ would do him much harm.” “ That’s a relief. At least we won't have him long on our hands as an invalid. You know him quite well, then?” “ He’s not a friend of mine, if that is what you mean.” Fortunately, Peter entered at this mo- ment with a steaming bowl of broth, for the conversation was growing a little strained. I left them both feeding the sick man, and went on out to get the boat. In a few minutes I had settled into a long, steady stroke that carried me swiftly _ Origin OHIO STATE i Tco ALA (© ‘DOO C