Adventure, February 1917 — page 105: what you’re looking at

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

_ her. ! evening run to which he meant to invite He thought that, on the whole, she would not be so sorry to have her mind made up for her. And if she was, it didn’t + matter. What was a marriage service for? On the whole, Ben Slade, stilleamazingly young despite his almost forty years, felt the affair to be a rather jolly adventure and looked forward to it as fun. And the best spice of the fun would be the thought of “that cow of an Englishman”’ left behind. The “cow of an Englishman,” mean- while, had been busy in his own methodic way. He had handed Page over to the hos- . pital—which was not at all glad to see him, regarding the care of lunatics as none of its _ business—had arranged for his passage to Brisbane, settled with a hard-up third-class passenger to take care of him on the voy- age down, given over the ship and all she contained to the official representing law and order in Samarai, and then marched up to the top of the hill whereon the hospital was placed, through a fierce morning sun, to see the patient and ascertain that all was well. When Captain Campbell put his hand to any plow, he was apt to see the job of plowing through to the last furrow. The nurse in charge—one of a long series who had spent a brief few months in the isolated little town, deprived of the inter- est and excitement that attend hospital work in larger places—received him rather cross- ly. She had two cases of blackwater fever, a hand smashed by dynamite, and a delir- ium tremens in her charge, and it seemed to her that Page was really the last straw. “We aren’t supposed to look after luna- tics, you know,” she told him sharply. “My dear young lady,” said the Captain soothingly, fixing his eye admiringly on the nurse’s neat figure, “this is a case of paraly- sis. No matter what else he has, you can’t deny that. I brought him here asa paralyt- ic. Besides, he’ll only be with you till the steamer comes back.”” “And that will be four days, at the earli- est, going and returning from Woodlark,’’ complained the girl, a little softened by the fine blue eyes that Captain Campbell knew so well how to use. “People think that be- cause there are only a few beds in the place, I can have nothing to do. I’d rather have my share of the beds in a ward of eighty— with ordinary help. Day and night work like this i is killing, when my only helper is away.” Nobody’s Island 103 “I’m sure you do your very best for. every one,” replied Captain Campbell. “Pretty girls are always the kindest.” “Well, at that rate of going, it would take an angel or a fairy to put up with Page,”’ answered the nurse. “He has been ~ worrying my life out all day about some precious box of papers. He can hardly speak so as to be understood, and his mind isn’t more than half there, but you never saw anything sO persistent. Just come and listen to him.” The Captain followed her into thesmall clean ward, with its walls almost all door and window, its white mosquito nets, and — its wide protecting veranda. Page was lying in a quiet corner; his net was up, since it was morning, and no mos- quitoes were about, and his face was plain to be seen, one eye drawn down, the mouth badly twisted. Out of the sound corner of the mouth words were pattering ceaselessly, blurred, unfinished, hard to understand. But Campbell could gather that a box .of papers was in question. “The shark ate it,” he understood fee to say, a great many times. And. ‘The old lady—the old lady.” ~ It seemed utter nonsense, but poor Pa was-evidently distressed. ‘Campbell, who was as kindhearted as most men, outside of what he conceived to be his duty, asked the nurse whether she could form any idea of what he wanted. If there were anything of Page’s on the schooner that he need- “Tt’s just delirious nonsense, if you ask — me,” said the nurse crisply. ‘‘Sharks and papers and old ladies! If you want to do anything for him, you could send up a case of good soda-water from the hotel. He’s on the edge of D. T.’s, in addition to every- nn else, and I daren’t give him stimu- ant “He shall certainly have it,” said Camp- bell, and went away rather puzzled, It seemed good to him, on the whole, to inquire after any box of papers that might have been found on the Tagula. “One might quiet down the poor brute,” he thought, with the healthy man’s shud- der at sickness, ‘‘Well, whatever way I may ‘wink out,’ as Slade calls it, it won’t be that particular one, thank God!” - He ordered the soda-water and made in- quiry about the papers. never happier than in ordering, inquiring, Eomichbooks Campbell was — (E@)