The Argosy, Vol. 84 No. 1 — page 134: what you’re looking at

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

124 an expression that baffled me. There had been a time the evening before when we had seemed to be on terms of mutual trust and regard that had moved me oddly. Yesterday she had been all compassion, sympathy, consideration; now there was an indefinable aloofness about her. ‘“ You must—we must do something for his arm,” she said timidly as I joined them. I marveled at the woman. What consideration had he had for her weakness, her dependence on him and me; what concern for her sustenance and her escape? None! But now he was hurt and she was a woman. He must be nursed and babied. ‘“‘T have splints and will set his arm if he will let me,” I offered. He but glowered at me. * Please!” said the girl. She even bent over him and rested a hand on the big man’s shoulder. His gaze met hers in wonder and then something gave way in the fellow. His eyes were still those of the brute, but of the tamed brute, the mastiff, say, doglike indeed in expression. 3 I wondered if Flanagan’s spirit had been broken with his arm, He held this out. Now, without speech, T set it as best I knew how, and although I must have hurt him frightfully with my bungling skill, never so much as a whim- per escaped him. Elizabeth Norcross, who held his. hand in place while 1 bound it, nearly fainted when the operation was at last completed. This done, I gathered more wood for the fire and brought forth the remains of my rabbit for breakfast. The girl would eat little of this and Flanagan none. For myself I ate but to preserve my strength, for warmed over, half-roasted rabbit is not an ideal breakfast-food. As I ate I gloomily considered our situation. This had been evil enough to begin with, but into it had been inter- jected something of human nature, so called, that was as untimely as it was despicable. That had been done away THE ARGOSY. with, and as a result we had on our hands a disabled member of the party who, ac- cording to all the canons of surgery, ought to have rest and inaction until his arm knitted. : Under the circumstances I did not see how it would be possible to set out to-day. There was one thing I must do, however, and that was keep up the fire on the hill- top. I was certain that the girl’s father would leave no steps untaken to follow us in our flight, and while I feared it would be many days before he could get within sight of that signal, there was always the possibility of its being seen by others. Aiter breakfast I invited Miss Norcross to go with me to visit the snares and re- light the fire, thinking it would accomplish the double purpose of diverting her mind from the gravity of her situation and at the same time help put her in condition . for the long journey home when the time came for that. She glanced at Flanagan, who was out of hearing at the time. “Ought he to be left alone?” queried. I smiled. Yesterday she feared to be left with him; to-day she feared to leave him. She must have guessed what was pass- ing in my mind, for she added: “It is different—to-day. »He is broken in spirit as well as body.” “ Yes, yes,’ I answered with some impatience. I had not entirely forgotten the humiliation of the previous day. “ But did he worry about you or me yesterday ?”’ She sighed in resignation. I suppose she thought that, being a man, it was impossible for me to see the situation as she did—and it was. Brute Flanagan looked after us as we set out together, but, so far as I could see, there was little of animosity in his glance. Rather it seemed more of anxiety lest we desert him. I eased his mind by she telling him where we were going and as- — suring him that we would return shortly. I was very near to happiness that morn- MNICLOOOLKS ve aie (C@)