.. painfully he put on
his shirt, neatly tied his tie, while I steadied him. This manual
function seemed to better his condition straightway. He startled me by
turning to me with a look of amused recognition in his eyes. He was no
longer off his head, just a very sick man.
"Well, Johnnie, so you're back again?"
"Yes, Pop--back again!"
"What are you going to do next?" he queried wearily, seating himself
laboriously in an armchair.
"Stay, and take care of you!"
"That will be unnecessary. I have had a rather severe attack of malaria
... that is all ... left me rather weak ... but now I'm getting over it
... had to take a lot of whiskey and quinine, though, to break it up!
"Malaria comes on me, every spring, you know ... harder than usual, this
spring, though ... it's made me dotty ... made me say things, at times,
I'm afraid!"
We sat silent.
"--need any money?" he was reaching into his pocket.
"No, I don't want a cent!"
"Then take this five dollar bill and go around to the corner saloon and
buy me a pint ... what I had is all used up, and the chills are not
quite out of me yet."
* * * * *
On the way to the saloon I stopped at Hartman's express office ...
related the foregoing story....
"H'm! yes!... I see!" ... Hartman braced his thumbs together
meditatively, "--from what you say it's pretty serious .
Pages:
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323