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Show AN ODD NUMBEn ANS AH ODD CASE. Ami Hi" IJ.I..II.., 1., II., I 11,1, l.en -Vnj-llilB lo II., ulll, Hie I'.-T There wm a comtuntlnn In the hotel when Ihe Denver stage came In, nnd ths men who were playing jioker in tho bar-ru,un, bar-ru,un, and the loafers who were waiting for somebody tu treat horrlsd lo see what was uu "Them's a lek traveling man. Ile'o awful bail nud cuu't go uuy further. Fix him lip n bed nud semi for a doctor," some ntie In authority was saying. Tnero wore plenty of volunteers to help curry tho sick man tu n room, and aoon a temporary nurse whs Imtiilled and A doctor tu charge uf tho case. There wiib nothing unusual abontlt He wasn't the int sick man that Liut rtrundeil there, and winild not bo the last. Tlie only curious thing ahoiit l.lu was Udst lie liennl the I indlonl sayi "Tl... him Into thirteen." "No, no," he said feebly, "lhat I an nidiiuky number to tne don't pot me there.V "All rlgutr raid the landlonl, "give him eiglitoen, that's empty." And ths in. n !ire him carefnllV tiiitalr. Hut the landlord ha1 wlukil to those who bud him tu charge, and they lud resiondeil by an nuaweriug wink, which raid in dr.mb show, "AU tight, wo understand." un-derstand." Ho theycarrle 1 him Into theroom Willi the tuilucky number, ami lie, having .fiilli In the man lie had appealed to, h.snl na (aiMtloii. Iudred he could n it, for a they carried lilm Into th ruoui he Hiooiied, ncd they had enough to do, with the doctor's help, lu reilve him. Then he doxeel, and ttnrtal np lu fe-vcrlih fe-vcrlih delirium, nud calhl for peopla who were far away, and raved and innt-tered, innt-tered, and tho landlord wa langhliip; d ma at the bar, te.llng of his good Juki, in deeeivlnsj the sick man. He'll never know the difference,'' he said, "I aiu't no patience wltli Much euj-relltitii , and what the eye don't so foe heart don't feel. Hero's health and long llfo to the stranger in No, 13." They clinknl glasses nnd drunk. The nolau of their carousal pcnlratcel th" renin nls.M', where death wrcatled with llfo lu an unequal encounter. "What tune In ltl" The sick man hod wakened euddenly, and as ho iel.ed the question the cluclr ou the mui.tel liegan lo striku the hoar. "One two three four," ho counted the strokes aloud. The nurse tried tn dlaaiiaj , lilm frost speaking by shakini; her head In dliwp-proval dliwp-proval and laying a finger cii Tier lips, but he irsisted and hail his wuy. "Fire six seven eight" - The doctor held his linger on the sick man's pulse and felt nn neweteratod thrill In lu Irrerular Ixiut. Tho sick man's voice couliuiiedt "Niim leu eleven twelve" "Midnight," bhI.1 the doctor, giving the ntir-e u warning look. "Thirteen I" "The duck strnck one too wanyj It 1 ont e.f order," gtuiublod the ntiree. "It ha stopped," said the doctor, taking tak-ing Lis linger from the pules, lo whlcli lie nfcrrml, "hirango! I did not thluk tho cud was so near." Neither did the landlord, who had just w lulled too traveler lung life. Dot tho clock that struck one too runnv had been tlio strange Instrument of fato. Detroit 1'ren Frees. |
