Show r N d DEPUTY I OF THE I DEVIL BEN BENu BENt t u AMES WilLIAMS i t I W NU SERVICE CHAPTER I VI Gl a-Gl linx U li chagrined ha haf f U to learn Im m that Mary Ann is having ninn inner r with Jerrell and frets fr ta over the tact that wife wile stands In the way to his hl ummer summer home he gives Mrs Mr II a box b x of f candy and prepares he heis for forgO to gO co eo When he he is In ill eating eating it they have words word about his hta seeing Mary Ann Aim He lie begins berin ar to l ex elf the that she abe would choke chok CHAPTER VII VU After After the funeral Dr decides e e to send nd his vacation at the lake k ke and asks Mary Ann n to come there bere to t do d some in e writ work him blin ll U its la lai uAn An instant later a piece of t candy lo ie otter She chokes i la tn her throat She chokes choke Without offer lag any aid Dr ed C g es e off oS b swimming m g gaid Returning R furn with t Nancy whom he has h met returning home hame with Van Dan he finds fulds the body of t his hi wife lielI Ha lie lI seems e mi ms terror stricken and remorseful reinor at first but Anally e he ta is I free tree Nan Nan- Nance Nancy cy u has haa a foreboding of ot evil 1 angry anery when Ke tie learns learn from Nancy Kancy that Dan li is SI coming too He tie e ed reveals reveal that hatke Te l ler m he has ha a aSI invited Jerrell er u a and demands demand d 8 that thata she be show some om Interest In him Wm Nancy tells teUs him of her love for tor or Dan JIe He II says laYs Jerrell is I In love lave with b her r She replies that Jerrell has ha fallen in love Jove with Mary MaryAnn MaryAnn MaryAnn Ann Her father s a reaction to this Is il I so 10 terrible that Nancy flees leei In terror CHAPTER VIII-Dan VIII VIII Dan and Mary Ann arrive at the lake and are tire greeted cor lally nan and Mary Ann KO go to meet r rJ ell Jen-ell J and suggests s t taom Mme pistol shooting for or amusement He lie brings d dl Jerrell to b- b tt the th range J Jerrell r shoots l en but t ti s urged on n by r Suddenly I an as tt if possessed e ed bya by a span ha he cannot resist t Jerrell fril shoots TIAn Dan him seriously move him Its It's hopeless I lie Ile added And even If It there were time It would need a mIracle to save him Mary Ann held his hl eyes with hers You can do miracles she said her tones vibrant compelling I 1 know I ve ye seen them But it wasn t anything I 1 could see tee Oh I ve ye seen what you did with your hands your Instruments EverythIng you did But Dut It wasn't what chat bat you dId I It was wn something InsIde you She caught his arms grasped them firmly You must do a miracle for or Dan Dm she said She spoke quickly to Nancy Your father will have to operate here at once In the house With plenty of light A table some some- somewhere somewhere where where It Nancy caught strength from Mary MaryAnn MaryAnn MaryAnn Ann She suggested steadily The kitchen Theres There's a bIg bit skylight and anda anda a long lone table It Mary Ann nodded Perfect She turned to Jerrell She cht- saw then that he stood white while and shamed and sorrowful and she went to him and rose on tiptoe to kiss him him- him touched hI hit his cheek reassurIngly worry Dont Dont Don't worry You must help must us Ira she the said Git something to carry arry Dan into the some house house thing so that he can nn an lie flat tat I will telephone the nearest hospital Where is it Nancy Nancy told her Jerrell Instantly galvanized into activity was already al already ready running toward the house Mary Ann looked at Doctor Greed Ing You will need she reflected these things And she named them in a swift catalogue Anything Any Anything thing else j I I Doctor said aid gently No that will oo cu It slut But its II a no use Mary Ann I The girl ignored his word 1111 have them send everything she sheI I said moving toward the path and then to Nancy While White I 1 I m phon phonIng phoning phoning Ing get water boiling billing Get Din on the table Find some razor blades I new new ones if It you cnn can can md put ut them on to boll boil And If It you ve ye some blunt ended scissors Or any ciny aces sels scissors sors will do And thread and big ble needles And big bit spoons Put everything ev everything on to boil But first come show me where Ih hr ha telephone Is IsI IsI IsI isI I 11 call 11 the hospital I a and nd then 1 I 11 11 I search se the house see ice what I cnn can find There must be first aid I II things things- I I I They went ent swiftly together toward the house and Doctor was left Iett alone here beside Dan Dnn I i The man stood looking down hIs eyes brooding His universe was chaos in this hour The discovery that Dan was not though dead dead though his wound must almost certainly prove had fatal had struck Doctor with a shocking hocking force Dan the rock upon which all aU hIs hopes and plans were shattered Dan whom he hated and whom he had meant should was die die was still shU all alive el elAnd And he had meant that Dan should die by Jerrell s carelessness so that Mary Ann would abhor the man manYet Yet here here a moment Mary ago ago MaryAnn Ann had kissed Jerrell on the bps She loved her brother she should for his carelessness hate Jerrell But instead she had kissed him in comfort and in love Doctor could not recognize recognize nize the world so long familiar He felt himself under the glance of a astern astern astern stern condemning eye he seemed to hear mockery In the air and a derisive laughter He spoke poke without knowing It t aloud He must die diet I He lie can t life 11 e he muttered Dan nm on the ground at his feet saId stubbornly without opening his eyes I I m not dead yet Doctor Doctori And the older man said crush crushingly crushingly crushingly You re ra badly hurt Don t nurse any ony futile fume hopes But Dan would not riot by words alone be daunted His mouth twisted In Ina ina ina a grin I U Il show you something about getting well wen that you never saw law before he insisted laboring over his words telling Im Im telling youl you Doctor shook with a murderous rage rale Dan Vas was l liae li e al a I u n n I 10 W be crushed in 11 n der a grinding had hael The Doctor looked oV over over his toward the path along which N and Mary MaryAnn Mar Ann had disappeared There was n none none none one In sIght light His t as searched i Hound and nd then he knit Dan again his h c orl ed If U the 1111 th m mi m s re not now dead cJ ad yet he mutt munt diet nut But Nancy wild fill from the path I m co Dins co-Dins Din Dan So D stood up quickly his hands from the stricken map Yet he ho to k lc only a grudging and reluctant hand in what hat ImmedIate Immediately ly Iy f followed Thomas and Jerrell and Nancy and her father worked together Thomas had brought one me ot of the shutters used to seal the windows win dows of ot the house in winter and they laid it on the ground tad ind man managed managed aged as gently as possible t to lift Dan upon it His breath whIstled through dry lips Ups and his mouth twIsted but he did not speak or complain They lifted him nim and with Nancy and her father at uric one end Jerrell and Thomas at the other they car carried the shutter and its burden across the court and through the gate and along the path toward the house Th They y came to the Ule kitchen door wor Ruth and Margaret the cook had made all an ready there They bore Dan into the kitchen md and laId the shutter upon which he rested on the table and Doctor felt the hurt man s pulse Nancy tUI turned ned quickly to the servants servants ants Margaret she directed you you keep the kettles boiling Ruth bring blankets and sheets and pH lows Lots of them Clean ones Don t let fd them touch anything the wall or anything Old Margaret white hite faced laced but steady turned to the stove Rath pale as death departed to do as Nancy rancy bade her Jerrell stood sl ai- ai i ilent lent by the kitchen door waiting for eo cO and Thomas went stol stolidly stolidly idly out of ot doors a lumpish man not easily dismayed Doctor looked around at them saw all all Margaret her back turned busy ati at atthe atthe the stove and he said softly Nancy and you Ira you d bet better I Iter ter leave me with Ith him He might even now find the opportunity to do hat shat he intended But Dut Nancy answered stoutly I Im I'm never going to leave him again Never i iThen Then Mary Ann her hands full came through the pantry I got the hospital on the phone she reported re reported I ported They ie te sending every every- everything everything everything thing Nanc Nancy have some one meet the car at the landing And I vei ye been rummaging the hou e a for things we could use She spoke to I Doctor You can begin with what wha I have here By the time youre you're ready to close the wound the things from the hospital will have come He said stubbornly Dan is sinking Mary Ann This Thit it h valor valorous i ors but it is futile too She deposited her burden on the draining board beside the sink the and took Dan s wrist in her hand and after a moment she said crisply I His pulse is not bad Then almost sternly Doctor DoctorI I I have seen you do min mil acles You didn t do them with instruments in I and equipment You did them with the gift of healing that b bIn In you You can do one now The man s eyes flickered uncertainly uncertainly in jn a sort of desperation and ani beads of ot perspiration appeared up upon upon J Jon on his brow He repeated after her like a lesson learned by rote 1 can do one now f Then his color flamed and he seemed about to speak to refuse But m the end as though surrendering he std slid de Quick then dej j l Mary Ann nodded turned back to the sink I found this can of ether in the bathroom closet upstaIrs she reported Its It s never been opt opined And heres here's iodine and al alcohol a alcohol cohol and gauze for tor U Mary Ann went to the stove to In- In Inspect in inspect the things boiling there she nodded sa satisfied And she turned to Nancy looked at her appraisingly I Do Do you ou au want to stay to help she asked Yes said Nancy To be continued |