The Purchase Price eBook

Emerson Hough
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 345 pages of information about The Purchase Price.

The Purchase Price eBook

Emerson Hough
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 345 pages of information about The Purchase Price.

Mon pere,” began Hector, “I’ll tol’ him, if he didn’t tell the docteur about how Monsieur Dunwodee he’ll broke it his leg some more—­”

“What’s that?” The doctor whirled upon him.

“It’s quite true,” said Josephine.  “He had a fall, here in the house.  He thinks he has broken the injured bone.  I didn’t know for a long time that he had been shot.  He stood out here last night talking to me.”

Stood out here—­talking to you—­with his leg broken through—­the front bone?  Couldn’t you have any mercy?  You didn’t have to use that broken wrist, but he—­standing around—­”

“He did not tell me, until the last moment.  He said he thought he had a little fever and believed he would take a little quinine.”

“Oh, quinine—­a Missourian would take that to save his immortal soul—­and quite as well as to take it for a broken bone like that.  I did the best I could with it—­out there in the dark, but it wasn’t half dressed.  Come—­” He motioned Josephine to follow him to Dunwody’s room.

Eleazar had slunk away about the house, but Hector, left alone with Jeanne, improved the shining hour.  In a few moments he had informed her that he was most happy to see one so beautiful, one, moreover, who spoke his own tongue—­although perhaps, it was true, not quite as that tongue was spoken in Canada.  As for himself, he was a cooper, and had a most excellent business, yonder at St. Genevieve.  But the society of St. Genevieve—­ah, well!  And so on, very swimmingly.

In the sick chamber Jamieson advanced with one glance at Dunwody’s fevered face.  “What’s up, Dunwody?” said he.  “What has gone wrong?  Easy now, never mind.”

He shook his head over the results of his first scrutiny.  He turned to Josephine, “Have you ever seen anybody hurt?”

“I’ve been on two battlefields,” said she.  “I’ve nursed a little.”

Dunwody turned to her a face whose eyes now were glazed with suffering.  He nodded to Jamieson without any word.

“Sally, get some hot water, quick!” called out Jamieson in the hall.  “So, now, old man, let’s see.”

He stripped the covering quite down and bared the lower limb, removing the bandage which he had originally applied.  For a moment he looked at the angry wound.  Then he pulled back the covering, and turned away.

“Well, well, what is it?” croaked Dunwody hoarsely, half-rising on his crumpled pillow.  Jamieson did not reply.  “I fell, out there in the hall.  Weight must have come on the bad place in the leg.  I think the bone snapped.”

“I think so too!  That mightn’t have been so bad—­but then you stood a while on that bad leg, eh?  Now look here, Dunwody; do you know what shape you are in now?”

“No, I only know it hurts.”

“If that leg were mine, do you know what I’d do with it?”

“No; but it isn’t yours.”

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The Purchase Price from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.